


Branded

by Emono



Category: Generation Kill
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blow Jobs, Dirty Talk, M/M, Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2018-12-25 03:28:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12027144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emono/pseuds/Emono
Summary: Everyone is born with their soulmate's first words to them tattooed on their body. Sometimes it's innocent, sometimes it's obscene, but most of the time it's only one mark. Brad, Mike, Nate, and Ray were all shocked when three soulmarks appeared on their skin. Luck is on their side and they find each other, one at a time, and they find themselves quickly falling in love. It goes surprisingly smooth but there's always some bumps.It's just a big pile of stupid fluff.





	1. The Poorly Written Prologue

No one knew exactly why or how your soulmate’s first words appeared on your skin. It usually happened in ones early teens but some people had words appear late into their twenties. Some said it was because their soulmate hit their teenage years, some said it was when they were born, others blew it off as a late bloomer kind of thing. 

 

It didn’t really matter why or how because it wasn’t a guarantee that you even found your soulmate. There were billions of people in the world and it seemed impossible when a young girl in Tennessee had a slew of kanji appear on her arm or when a gangly Russian thirteen year old baffled over the Hebrew that bloomed on his shoulder blade overnight.

 

They came that quick sometimes. Whether in the twenty minutes of a quick shower or fading in painfully slow over years, it always came. 

 

In the past, it was devastating to find your soulmate after you’d already married or were lucky enough to fall in love with someone. It used to raise awkward scenarios and questions and ended most time in heartbreak. But as the idea of polyamory and open relationships came with modern times it made people far more progressive. Married couples would end up with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Ace and aro couples found new best friends, new partners, new roommates. Time went on and people didn’t feel as compelled to be romantically and sexually involved with their “soulmate” in search of some sort of destiny forged relationship. 

 

Everyone created what they wanted out of what became to be known as their ‘markmate’. They had their own thoughts and feelings about the words that appeared on their skin. Some didn’t ever want to find their person, some died seeking them, and others lived their lives with little flames of hope. 

 

But there came puzzling, rare cases where someone had _two_ soul marks. They were considered doubly lucky and doubly cursed. These four particular souls had _three_. Three phrases branded on their skin and that meant three different people out there were linked to them in some way. A four way bond? It was unheard of.

 

Nate mooned and sighed over his marks that implied at least one of them were men. He’d rub over them absently at night and hope that if their relationship would be romantic they’d want to adopt. Family meant everything to him and if he met even one of these people he prayed they’d want kids too. He wanted supportive partners. One mark in particular was obscene and he kept it covered at all times, one horribly romantic, and the third was so mundane he doubted he’d even realize they’d met. Still, he loved every last one of them, and he dreamed of the day they’d meet. A husband, a wife, a best friend, he’d take anything as long as it was someone he could trust. 

 

Brad didn’t believe in any of the soulmate crap. He would scowl at his phrases and keep them covered up with mark tape and say he never wanted to meet any of them. He would spout off the improbability of meeting even three markmates, reciting the math and squashing hopes whenever he could. He was bitter and flippant and no one outside his family knew the words. If someone was going to fall in love with him it would be for who he was, not who they thought he should be. 

 

Ray was the only one to have a Big Gay Freak out at the implication of one of his marks. It took a couple years but once he accepted his open sexuality his entire life kind of fell into place. Shedding the hetero mindset was like shedding chains. His porno collection doubled and naked posters were full of tantalizing titties and glistening pecs. It felt better to not give a shit and it made him louder, sharpened his tongue, and his humor became a shield. He refused to cover his marks and he hoped if he made himself as colorful and brazen as he could he would find one of his three markmates. He knew he was hard to handle sometimes so the idea that three people out there could love him so completely was intoxicating. He was halfway obsessed with it but seemed to always strike out. 

 

Mike looked at his marks with a sad reverence. The marks came when he was in his early twenties and it started the worry him that he would outlive his markmates. If they had just been born he was sure he’d never see them, and even if they were preteens he would outrank them by ten years. He didn’t let it stop him from dating but the concern stayed locked up in the deepest part of his heart. Maybe his bonds wouldn’t be romantic, maybe they would be friends, brothers, hell maybe even the kids he wasn’t sure he’d ever have. He drew some comfort from that as he grew into his thick jaw and square features, bulking up quick and building a strong body for himself. He was a physical man and he didn’t give two shits what he looked like but he’d touch his marks and see the beautiful couples and wonder if he would ever find that. The words he’d been branded with weren’t exactly pointing towards a romantic connection but the loneliness got to be too much when his bed was cold. 

 

Probability was against them and they assumed they were hopelessly lost when it came to their markmates. Thankfully these particular boys were very, very lucky because they ended up within thirty miles of each other in the span of just a few years. 


	2. Brad and Mike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys showed so much interest!! I'm so happy there's some excitement for my OT4 here. I hope you guys like this rarepair here cause I know I do. Feedback is gold and I write twice as fast!

San Francisco had a lot of construction. It was ripe with people who had too much time and money and wanted to build their legacies. Mike was all about it and uprooted his dull life in Bumfuck, Arizona and moved out to California to establish himself. He played the field and showed his skills and soon enough he had himself in a supervisor position that let him work with his hands and boss people around. It was two of his favorite things and he did them well. 

 

The only thing he couldn’t get over was the party crowd. He’d gotten most of his wild streak out in his twenties during his brief stint in the military. He’d left “Gunny” behind when he’d retired and that meant being an adult, being accountable for his own actions. The young kids he saw staggering all over the street were just that - _kids_. He sighed and kept out of their way as he made his way back to his apartment. He had a few beers warming his belly but all the racket was starting to wear on his buzz. 

 

One guy in particular burst out of a bar at a stagger, miles and miles of legs and leather jacket that struggled to stay on its feet. He looked like was going to throw up right there on the sidewalk but managed to save it at the last moment. The man stumbled to the street and reached out for the motorcycle there. It was kind of funny to see the guy blink in confusion at his own bike (Mike assumed) but the game was over when the guy tried to straddle it and fell over the seat. The machine wobbled dangerously and the guy huffed like he’d knocked the breath out of himself with the handlebars. 

 

“Jesus,” Mike muttered, rolling his eyes even as he headed toward the man. The drunk pushed himself back a few steps before trying again at more of a lunge, trying to hop up with his leg over and missing his footing. Mike hurried and scooped the leggy blond up into the cradle of his arms before he could bust his head on the concrete. He stood the brat up on his feet as best he could when it seemed like those mile-long legs were little more than jello. “Watch it, kid.”

 

“I’m not a kid,” the man sighed, lashes fluttering wildly and a frown turning his lips. He stood himself up a bit shakily but leaned heavily on Mike, glaring down at him with sharper eyes than Mike had ever seen. They were ice blue with a razor edge that threatened to cut Mike all the way through. The man bit off his gloves and spat them onto the ground without hesitation, long fingers coming up to touch each side of Mike’s face.

 

They both jolted at the touch. There were countless recounts of how it felt to touch your markmate but it was _nothing_ compared to the real thing. Liquid warmth flowed through them and they swayed toward each other. Their heads swam and every breath felt like the sweetest whiskey burn. Their hearts raced and it seemed within moments they started to pound in unison like they had always known each other’s rhythm. 

 

Mike grabbed the man’s hips and listened to his breath stutter, golden lashes flicking again over warming blue eyes. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

 

“I-I never thought…” the man sounded so young, liquor tripping up his words. He shivered despite his riding jacket and hugged Mike so fiercely he thought he was getting attacked. Hands dug into him through his own coat. He could smell the dark whiskey on the kid’s breath as he nosed at the side of his head. “You’re bigger than I expected. Kinda shorter too.”

 

“Ain’t that much shorter,” Mike grumbled, holding him as still as he could as he started to sway. “You’re tanked, kid.”

 

“Said I’m not a kid,” he huffed.

 

“Yeah, well, a man would know better than to try and get on his tricked out ride drunk off his ass,” Mike snapped, though the heat was lost in the way he held the man close to drink in more of that content buzzing that was way better than any beer. The first lightning strike of sensation had passed but he still had goosebumps. From how breathless his little markmate was, he could feel it too. “You got somewhere to go? Somewhere I can walk you too?”

 

“Are you asking me for coffee, mister?” the man asked in an overly sweet, teasing tone. 

 

“I want to get you home safe,” Mike murmured against the man’s cheek, yearning so badly to kiss that long neck. He stamped down those feelings for now. “Put you in your own bed with a couple bottles of water and leave you my number so we can talk clean and sober tomorrow.”

 

The man draped further over him with a low hum. “I have a better idea. How about you take me to your house and we do all those things together?”

 

That made Mike’s stomach twist pleasantly. “I’m not taking advantage of this fucked situation.”

 

The man pushed away from him with a scowl, wobbling unsteadily. “Fucked because I’m a guy, you homophobic prick? Well kiss my lily white ass, Hoss. Sorry I’m not some bimbo you can stick you’re probably stupid huge dick in.” He was getting worked up too quick, those high cheekbones flaring hot with indignant rage as he raised his voice. “I didn’t ask for your fucking mark! And I don’t need a daddy to tuck me in so fuck off.”

 

“Hey!” Mike barked as the man tried to walk off. He snatched his hand and dragged him back with a scowl. “You listen up good. I don’t want to take advantage of my drunk markmate and I don’t appreciate you putting words in my mouth. So unless you want me to throw you over my fucking shoulder, you better tell me where you’re staying so I can get you there safe and more or less in one piece!”

 

The man snapped his mouth shut and his gaze dropped down to where they touched. He stepped closer and sheepishly laced their fingers together. It was an oddly sweet gesture that hit Mike right in the gut. He sighed and squeezed the man’s hand, refusing to admit how whipped he was already. “Unless...you want to spend the night at my place. _Sleeping_. And I make you breakfast in the morning. How’s that sound?”

 

“Can I see your mark?” the man whispered with a tint of shyness that he was sure only came from the booze. This was the kind of guy who was probably sarcastic and mildly prickly when sober. Mike liked him either way. “If I’m...you know, _good_ , or whatever?”

 

“Sure can,” Mike promised easily. “My place is two blocks over. You up for the walk?”

 

“You gonna’ carry me otherwise?”

 

“If I did, I think those chicken legs of yours would drag on the ground.”

 

“Touche.” The man slung an arm around his shoulders and gestured forward. “You lead the way.”

 

“First of all,” Mike corrected, grabbing him around the waist and turning him to face the other way. “It’s that way. Second, boy, I didn’t catch your name.”

 

“It’s not ‘kid’ or ‘boy’, man, it’s Brad,” the man insisted.

 

“I’m Mike.”

 

“Mike and Brad,” Brad puffed. “Sounds stupid. Let’s go. I need another drink.”

 

“Not tonight you’re not.”

 

“God you’re a fucking spoilsport.”

 

o0o

 

Mike had only hoped for something like this in the late hours of the night when he got tired of convincing himself he was okay if his markmates were platonic. He felt Brad’s presence like a caress and he wondered if his senses would ever stop prickling. He made the man drink a full bottle of water before he lost him to the bathroom to piss and brush his teeth with Mike’s spare toothbrush. He could only gawk as Brad stripped down to his underwear and crawled into Mike’s bed like it was his own.

 

“Christ,” he heard Brad curse to himself, rubbing his face on his pillow. “You smell good. What the fuck? I thought buff guys like you stank like Axe and sweat all the time?”

 

“I try not to.”   
  


“You’re doing a fucking good job,” Brad groaned as he flipped onto his back. He stretched and Mike admired the stupidly complex and sorta ugly tattoos. The kid really was ten miles of hot, tan, and blond. He looked like he’d stepped out of a magazine, carved with muscle from his thighs to his shoulders. He was kind of lean for Mike’s taste but maybe that was for the better because a man like Brad would never go for someone like him. He pushed those thoughts to the side and starting picking up his discarded clothes. Brad groaned again but in protest. “Oh fuck that shit and get over here. I’m fucking tired and I want to see it.”

 

“Them,” Mike corrected. He eyed the skin-colored tape over Brad’s bicep but spotted a second piece sticking out of the waistband of his boxers. “You got two?”

 

“Three,” Brad admitted with a little wince. “That a problem?”

 

“Fucking hell,” Mike cursed happily. He stripped down to his underwear and fished a pair of sweats out of his dresser to put on. He walked over to the bed and kind of threw out his arms to put his marks on full display. Brad’s jaw dropped and a rare, vulnerable kind of hope filled his eyes. He sat up and grabbed Mike by the arm, tugging him down insistently until he scooted on the bed to sit beside him. “Three. Just like you.”

 

“Fuck me,” Brad breathed out, the slightest tremble in his voice. His eyes flickered between all three of them but firmly landed on the words scrawled on his left pec in permanent black. **_I’m not a kid_**. He reached out for it but hesitated. “Can I…?”

 

Mike nodded, lip getting trapped briefly between his teeth. “It’s yours.”

 

Brad thumbed below the words and Mike felt goosebumps crop up along his shoulders and down his spine. From the way Brad shivered he was sure the boy could feel something in return. He pressed harder on the mark and they both jerked with that lightning-strike feeling their first solid touch had given. 

 

Brad was starting to pant, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Fuck. I-I never thought it was real. I couldn’t. I was almost _married_ for Christ’s sake, Mike. She left me for her soulmate and I couldn’t let myself believe that something was so strong or felt so fucking good that it would ruin a relationship as strong as ours. But this...I...I would’ve left too. This is so much.”

 

“Brad,” Mike tried to soothe as the kid got jittery on him. He laid his hands on his shoulders and hushed him quietly. “It’s okay. Just breathe for me.”

 

Brad whined in the back of his throat. The poor thing was overwhelmed and Mike wanted to take him into his arms but he was wriggling like he wanted to get away. “M-Mike, can...just…”

 

Mike shushed him more firmly. “Brad. Look at me.” Those brilliant eyes shot up to his and he smiled. “Slow. Careful. Nothing’s happening you don’t want. Don’t know about anywhere else, but you’re always gonna’ be safe here with me. That’s for damn sure.”

 

Brad shuddered and then grabbed his hand, gaze bright with certainty. “Touch me. _Here_. This is-” He shut his mouth and closed his eyes to obey Mike’s gentle command. When he opened them again it was in new focus. He took Mike’s hand and laid it over the tape along his ribs. “Take it off. It’s yours.”

 

It was Mike’s turn to lose his breath. “Are you sure? Don’t gotta’ do nothing tonight. Or ever.”

 

“I never thought I’d meet my markmate or that I would ever feel like this, so I’m not going to jerk you around,” Brad stated, pressing his palm harder to the covered mark. “Mike. I want to jerk you around.”

 

Mike’s mouth fell open but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask. 

 

“Seriously. If I wasn’t suffering the worst case of whiskey dick, I would do my fucking best to try and get you to fuck me right now,” Brad insisted hotly. The booze had kicked his tongue loose but his gaze was steady. “If you just want to be friends or whatever that’s fine but I am-” He frowned suddenly. “I can’t think of anything romantic or clever right now but you’re fucking hot. You’re usually the kind of guy I go for when I’m in the mood for dick so this kind of works out for me.” He closed his mouth and his teeth clacked. “I’m...usually not this talkative.”

 

“I like it,” Mike promised, blown away. He gestured hopelessly at himself with the hand that wasn’t lying protectively over where his mark was hidden. “You’re saying you’re into all _this_?” 

 

“Oh my fucking god,” Brad laughed, though not meanly. “Have you never looked in the mirror before? What the fuck’s wrong with you, man? I’m throwing myself at you! If you’re offended that my dick’s not working, you obviously didn’t see how much I was knocking back. The second I lay back down I’m going to pass out.”

 

Mike wanted to smack himself in the face. He looked down at the bandage peeking out from his under his palm and felt like a fool. He was too old to be putting himself down like this. Sure he’d gotten himself ready for the idea of rejection but what Brad was offering was real. This kid - this  _man_ \- was clearly shaken but it was all true. Brad was the most gorgeous thing he’d had in his bed in a long time and their simple touches felt better than some of the sex he’d had. It was one thing to be nervous about blowing it but listening to the crap spewing from his own mouth, it sounded like he was purposefully trying to ruin it before it started.

 

“You don’t want to be like that, do you?” Brad murmured dejectedly, finally letting go of his hand. “That’s fine, man. Whatever. I’ll sleep on the couch or just go home. I don’t feel very drunk anymore.”

 

“Lay down,” Mike growled, spreading his fingers across the bandage. “I want to see what’s mine.”

 

A flush spread across Brad’s cheeks and down to his chest. Mike wasn’t sure he’d ever get tired of seeing the boy go that pretty shade of scarlet. He decided to help him along and laid his other hand along his shoulder. He pushed with steady pressure and Brad crumbled to the bed, inhaling deeply and letting his arms go limp. Mike felt a rush of heat as Brad’s knees fell apart, those eyes showing that everything he’d said was true. 

 

“You’re fucking gorgeous,” Mike confessed, fingers blazing a trail up the man’s thigh. Thick blonde hair caught on his palms and he could feel the minute tremble. “Anyone ever tell you that, sweetheart?”  
  
  
  
“Once or twice.” Brad’s grin was smug but his voice was breathy. Mike’s nails caught the edge of the tape on his hip and he sucked in a breath. “I’ll show you the others later. I…”

 

“I know,” Mike hushed. “You want me to touch mine?”

 

Brad nodded eagerly. “Yeah. We’ll think about the others later?”  
  
  
  
“Yeah, sweetheart, just us right now.”

 

Mike didn’t miss a single hitch or tremble as he climbed up close to Brad. He fit himself between those long legs and started to peel back the bandage on his ribs. He dropped chaste kisses on his stomach as the adhesive pulled but he was as consistent as he was careful. He felt Brad’s toes curl against his leg and then he tugged the last bit free.  

 

There it was. **_Watch it kid_**.

 

Mike couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d wanted to. He laid a suckling kiss over the mark and Brad outright _whimpered_. Little jolts of pleasure sizzled down Mike’s spine and ended down at the tips of his toes. He reared back and gaped at the little letters spread out across Brad’s ribs. They were a perfect replica of his handwriting and he quickly looked up at the blond. 

 

“Does mine look like-?”

 

“Like I wrote it myself? Yeah,” Brad breathed, smiling ear to ear. “Hey can we sleep now? I feel like I just came and it’s either a cigarette or passing out.”

 

“You smoke?”  
  
  
  
“Not in a couple months but I’m ready to turn back for that dry orgasm.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

The morning came easy and they were grateful. Brad showered and came back to waffles in the maker and bacon sizzling away. “I like mine chewy.”

 

“Well I like it burnt,” Mike countered, pouring coffee. “Cream and sugar, pretty boy?”

 

“Sugar. Do you have anything organic?”

 

Mike whipped around to find Brad grinning cattishly. “You’re such a fuck. Don’t scare me with that hippy shit.”

 

“I love that hippy shit,” Brad declared as he flopped down into his chair and started picking at his mark tape. It was softened up from the hot water and was coming loose pretty well. “I sell that hippy shit to my clients and it keeps me fed. Is it done yet?”

 

Mike heaped up two full plates and sat beside the blonde at the kitchen table, their knees knocking. “Let me see.”

 

The words on Brad’s hip were in a gorgeous spot but they were pretty mundane. But when Brad twisted around and showed off the long sentence in scratchy handwriting all down his spine, Mike howled in laughter. 

 

“If _that_ mark goes with _this_ person, we’re bound to have our hands full,” Mike declared as he hiked down his sweats to show off the same scratchy scrawl on his thigh. Brad read it and burst out in laughter he actually cried a little. 

 

o0o

 

Mike and Brad were ‘dating’ for almost a month before Brad got tired of all the old fashioned courting bullshit  and just outright said they were together. They liked the places they lived so they kept those but they had a couple date nights a week. When Brad stayed the night Mike would cook them a big breakfast and when it was at Brad’s place the man would take them out to eat before they had to get to work. It was modernly domestic and Brad was happier than he’d ever been. They had a natural rhythm that Brad hadn’t felt with another person before.

 

In true Colbert fashion, once Brad realized he was happy he stirred up a panic. He got scared shitless but how easy it was with Mike and tried to break things off after only three months. Mike had been patient. He’d given Brad his space to run around and get drunk, bang a couple people, and come crawling back drunk off his ass with his tail between his legs. He’d showed up at his door at seven AM in the mist and humidity still drunk from the night before and in tears, begging to come back. It had broken Mike’s heart.

 

“You get one freak out, kid. That’s it. You do that shit again and I’m gone. Markmate or not.”

 

Brad had thrown himself at Mike’s mercy (and at his feet) and was shocked when the man had merely picked him up and offered to cook him something while he got the rest he so obviously needed. Mike seemed like a reserved man but he’d only ever been warm with Brad. He kept his heart, his arms, and bed open to him at all times even when they’d only been strangers.

 

Brad swore then that he wouldn’t take advantage of that love ever again. If he did, maybe he didn’t deserve an amazing markmate like Mike.

 

o0o

 

Brad hadn’t meant to come over so late but a client had kept him at dinner for hours trying to both show off and put their dick in him. Brad had been polite but he was more than unimpressed by a black card and a spray tan. He ended up bursting through Mike’s door at two AM completely ravenous for something much more than food.

 

They’d made it to the bed but Mike was pinned to the wall and Brad was relentless in his lap. They couldn’t stop kissing, Mike’s tongue fucking his mouth as he filled his ass. Brad gasped hoarsely against his lips but wouldn’t part for a breath. They were both craving the closeness, the warm press of skin and fingers. They couldn’t really fuck like this but the long, filthy grinds were fueling a low burn pleasure that was building just enough to eventually get them there. 

 

“Not letting you go,” Mike whispered against his lips, fingers spread protectively over his narrow hip and along his own words on his ribs. 

 

Brad’s breath hitched as pleasure shot down between his thighs. He bore down on Mike’s thick cock until the man’s head dropped into his throat and groaned. He squeezed those heavy shoulders and fucked down on him with more purpose. “That’s the idea, dumbass.”


	3. Chapter 3

Nate scrubbed a towel through his hair before putting it on the hook on the back of the door. The bathroom smelled like cotton and steam lingered in the air, clinging to the edges of the mirror and beading up on the faucet. He was still tired but he had to make _something_ for breakfast. He let go of the doorknob when he caught sight of his soul marks. He sighed through his nose and turned fully toward the mirror.

 

Nate liked them well enough. He kept the one above his nipple uncovered and he was partial to it and it’s romantic connotations. The second curled lovingly over his shoulder, but the third was horribly embarrassing. Not only was it obscene but it was above his ass like a gaudy tramp stamp. It had only taken a handful of encounters for him to realize that when he slept to men he had to fuck them face-to-face or top. Every time some cocky asshole got _in_ his asshole he tried to remove the tape to see if it was really a mark or a slutty tattoo.

 

Nate had to punch two guys in the face and take a sucker punch to the ribs before he learned that lesson. At least women were respectful of his right to privacy.

 

As embarrassing as it was, the phrase was distinctive and he’d know right away when he met his markmate.

 

o0o0o0o

 

The bar was terrible and way too loud and stunk like old, spilled beer; Nate couldn’t remember why he’d let Q-Tip drag him here. He hunched himself up at the bar top and tried his best not to draw attention. It was an open minded kind of place despite the horrible live music and the fuck boy atmosphere. Everyone looked rode hard and put away wet - too drunk, too loud, and too eager to pull a one night stand. Nate had politely turned down two drinks and smacked away three hands in an hour. And now his favorite pair of jeans were going to stink like weed. It wasn’t that he disapproved but he hated the stench.

 

He was really, _really_ ready to go but Q-Tip wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

 

Nate sighed into his beer as one of the drunker groups at the pool table burst into obnoxious laughter. They were apparently the band that was up next and they already looked blitzed. They were just a handful of guys but they looked like some kind of discount, mashed up version of Black Flag and Velvet Revolver. Tattoos everywhere, a hint of eyeliner, and one too many earrings. They were probably nice enough guys but they were getting on his nerves.

 

Nate knew he kept looking at one man in particular but he wasn’t sure why. He was hot, yeah, but he seemed vexing. His buddies kept giving him looks and playful shoves, rolling their eyes as he apparently mouthed off. How they heard him he had no idea. Nate felt like he was under water with terrible acoustics.

 

That same guy broke away from his buddies and headed toward the bar. He was shirtless and Nate may have been admiring his cute nipples and that’s how he got caught staring. Nate turned away and cursed into his beer. The guy was attractive but this wasn’t Nate’s kind of crowd at all and he didn’t feel like getting into a fight. This guy didn’t seem like the type to give up easy.

 

He snuck another look.

 

Fine. He was hot. Kill Nate for having a dick. Dark hair and a tan with lots of tattoos - he didn’t have a type but it was hard to pass up that combo. There was a star on the crest of each pec, a bird in a nest on one arm, some kind of radio tower on the other, and _No Dice_ written in a careless scrawl between his collarbones. It was far from a soulmark.

 

Nate wasn’t sure what it said but he could see the distinctive size and special shade of black. It looked fresh like all marks did, like new ink. It was wrapped around his nape like a half collar. Nate was probably going to say two words to the guy so that faint hope was ruled out. The guy was short but he easily muscled between the competition at the bar. He was only three bodies away now and Nate kept his head low as the guy slapped the glassy bartop to get the bartender’s attention. Nate dared to glance up to see the man stretching far across the bar and whispering in the bartender’s ear, nodding toward Nate himself. She looked confused and asked ‘what?’ over the neverending drum solo. The mystery man blatantly pointed and shouted but it was lost in the music.

 

Then the band ended their set with a tinny microphone feedback whine.

 

“-to the blond twink with the fuck me lips!” The man’s voice carried hard over the scattered applause and boos. He thumbed toward Nate and when he caught him gawking he mimed sucking his dick then winking.

 

Nate flushed hot all over and he swore his jaw was going to fall right off the hinge. He tried to flee but his feet failed him and he fell right off the stool to smack square into the bar edge. He clutched the counter and the crowd quieted down enough for his groaned response.

 

“Goddamn it.”

 

It rang out over their heads. Several people rubbernecked and they saw two men staring at each other with equal amounts horror and stunned revelation. The mystery man suddenly started pushing his way towards Nate with all the fury of a natural storm.

 

“Move it, assholes. Soulmate coming through!”

 

“Oh God, it had to be here,” Nate groaned into his hands. He wanted the Earth to open up and swallow him but he’d never be so lucky. He was elated and full of dread and it made him nauseous. He couldn’t believe his markmate was _here_. The guy came up on him and his presence was palpable, a touch without touch. It fissured against his core and he couldn’t ignore him.

 

He picked up his head and lost his breath all over again. The guy really was hot. Sharp, sloping cheekbones and shapely lips with eyes like honey glazed chocolate. He ran his fingers through the thick, wild mane of his hair and Nate saw chipped black polish on bitten-up nails. It hardly distracted from that wide, blinding smile.

 

“Hey, beautiful, I’m Ray. Your soulmate.” Nate really liked his voice and he was dazed by it long enough to miss the way the man was undoing his belt. “Check this out.”

 

Nate let out an indignant squawk and uselessly flapped his hands at the man. “Please don’t!”

 

Ray laughed in his face and pulled his belt loose enough to hook a thumb in his jeans and tug them down. His thumb caught the edge of his underwear and thick, dark curls peeked out the top of them. But above them were two words, and wasn’t it Nate who thought he’d only say two words to him?

 

_**Goddamn it** _

 

“What’s your name, gorgeous?”

 

Nate glanced between the blown out pupils and the flushed cheeks. Under the influence wasn’t how he’d daydreamed about this going. “Nate.”

 

“Wow. _Nate_. Look at you,” Ray marveled. “I never thought someone like you could’ve been my markmate. Holy shit, man.” He visibly brightened and took Nate’s hand. “I gotta’ introduce you to my band! They’re never going to believe this. They said I had no chance with you and you’re my _soulmate_ , bro! That’s so fucking cool!”

 

“First of all.” Nate yanked his hand away and scrambled to get his mental and physical footing. “I’m not going anywhere with you until you get a shirt on.”

 

Ray frowned and looked down at himself. “Ah shit. Right, okay. Yeah, cool, cool. I can do that.”

 

“Second, you _don’t_ have a chance with me with how you’re acting,” Nate scolded.

 

“I saw your face, man, if that’s not a face that says ‘holy shit this asshole is my soulmate’ then I don’t know what is,” Ray rushed out. “So don’t pretend like you don’t have some kind of mark with what I said. Which, holy shit, I can’t wait to see.”

 

Nate glanced around in blatant distaste at the bar. Suddenly he hated the place for ruining his picturesque soulmate meeting. He signaled the bartender over and pull out a twenty when she laid down his bill. He took the receipt and pulled a pen out of his inner jacket pocket to put down his name and number.

 

“As soon as you sober up and decide to treat me with even a modicum of respect, give me a call,” Nate ordered casually. He folded up the paper and tucked it into Ray’s front pocket. “By the end of the week.”

 

The heat of Ray’s body called to him. Nate’s fingers stayed curled in the denim, knuckles pressing against coarse hair and soft skin. Without thinking he dragged Ray a step closer. He honestly stank but Nate still had to stop himself from kissing him, pressing against him, searching for that bond whispering between them. And Ray, the bastard, just _stared_ with such obvious awe like he was ready for whatever the moment would bring.

 

Nate’s thumb rubbed over the soulmark. Whatever doubt he had fizzled away as white hot sparks shot up his arm. The skin-to-skin contact burned and they closed that last bit of distance. Their foreheads bumped gently and they sucked in a shared breath. Nate’s nose filled with the stench of cheap beer, cigarettes, and skunk weed but he didn’t care. They didn’t kiss but their noses brushed. Nate thumbed harder at his words and they gasped. Ray grabbed his elbow but his touch was skittish, light and afraid like he was waiting to get socked.

 

Nate suddenly wanted to rip apart every person who had ever made Ray feel that way.

 

“You’re not going to disappear, are you?” Ray asked desperately. He blinked hard and his throat clicked as he tried to swallow. “I’m too fucking high for this. Please don’t, Nate. I’ve waited a really long time for this.”

 

“Call me,” Nate repeated. “We’ll talk.”

 

“Okay, Nate.” Ray smiled suddenly and his eyes swallowed up all the light in the room. He spoke his name with reverence. “ _Nate_. Yeah.”

 

Nate let go of his jeans and patted his cheek with a sigh. _I’ve got my work cut out for me._

 

o0o0o0o

 

Nate sat at his favorite coffee shop in a two person booth tucked into the far corner. It was out of the general foot traffic and his back was to the door to resist looking up every time the bell went off. It had finally gotten cold outside and he warmed his hands around a caramel latte. He loved the sweet smell of it but he was mostly staring at the cream swirl as he tried to figure out what to say when Ray arrived. _If_ he arrived.

 

He couldn’t get his heart to stop pounding and his stomach was full of sharp-winged butterflies. He kept remembering Ray looking like some kind of Pete Wentz wannabe and how crude he was at the bar. Nate had been so pissed about it but now in broad daylight he could laugh. You had to admire someone who was so bold and a little reckless. He’d been so enthusiastic and comfortable in his own skin.

 

Nate closed his eyes and he could still feel the little shocks of when they’d touched. The soulmate thing was _real_. He’d never really doubted it but it still blew his mind. The distinct phrase on his skin paired with those feelings cemented it. His hand had tingled for an hour afterward. He was so nervous, restless in a way that had kept him up all night even though he had a midterm to study for. He’d brought his school bag with the thought he’d get some work done while he waited, but that seemed to be a bust.

 

Nate had looked at his phone a dozen times since this morning to read and reread the messages between them. He’d told Ray to meet him ten minutes ago and the last text he’d sent wasn’t encouraging.

 

**Srry running hella latee ill be there asap**

 

Nate was starting to get unsure about this whole thing. He could feel his mark like a fresh burn. It was yearning to be touched but he didn’t know what to do if his markmate was a complete loser. He had so many plans for his life and he wasn’t sure how this Ray person fit into it.

 

“Nate?”

 

His name was said with such tenderness that he almost didn’t catch it. He picked up his head and his breath left him in one big whoosh. Standing in front of him was Ray but a Ray from some kind of alternate dimension to the one he’d seen last night.

 

This Ray was dressed in a soft looking scooped neck white shirt with a tan leather jacket that fit snug on his lithe frame. Dark, scuffed boots toed at the floor and some kind of multiloop black rope bracelet hung off his wrist. There was a square, wooden pendant sitting between his jutting collarbone. He looked like someone who smoked too much and ate too little. Nate started to mentally sort through his mother’s hearty recipe, the faint protectiveness he’d felt the night before coming back full force.

 

He looked _amazing_. His hair was brushed and swept back neatly enough except for a few strands that escaped and kissed his eyebrow. It drew him back to those dark honey eyes and his heart skipped a beat.

 

His staring must’ve been for too long because Ray looked like he wanted to draw in on himself. “Hey.”

 

“Ray.” Nate got up and his hip caught painfully on the edge of the table. He tried to play it off but he knew he winced. He could feel an embarrassed flush burning across his face and ears. He felt flustered and couldn’t quite get his composure back together. “Uh, hi.”

 

“I guess you didn’t expect me to show up, huh?” Ray looked guilty as he scrubbed a hand across the back of his hair. It mussed it up and Nate caught a glimpse of worn away polish clinging to his nails. “Yeah, I wouldn’t blame you. I was really fucked up last night. I always go too hard when we get a gig. Guess I just get excited.”

 

He even sounded different, softer, and Nate suddenly wanted to pull him into a hug. “Sit down? Please? We have some stuff to talk about.”

 

Ray nodded, subdued, and eased down into the booth. Nate felt like an ass. He hadn’t meant to come off so terrible and cow his soulmate. Before he could overthink it, he curled his finger under Ray’s chin and tilted his face up. They both shivered as the small contact reignited the taste of fire they’d had last night. Nate inhaled sharply and stepped back to try and shake it off.

 

He practically went off to the counter and came back with a parfait and a frappe.

 

“I realize I kind of rushed you out of the house, so…” Nate trailed off lamely and set them in front of the other man.

 

Ray stared at the treats with wide eyes. “What flavor is this?”

 

“Uh, pumpkin spice.” Nate’s cheeks flared hot and he felt stupid. “You seem like the type to like something really sweet. I-I can get you something else if-”

 

“Nate, dude.” Ray beamed up at him. “I love this basic bitch shit. How did you know?”

 

He hurriedly sat down before he could embarrass himself further. “Wild guess.”

 

“Thank you.” Ray made himself stop staring and took a drink. He moaned as the sweetness washed over his tongue. “Hell yes.”

 

“About last night,” Nate began. “I shouldn’t have just brushed you off like that.”  


“No way, man, I would have done the same. I was stoned off my ass and who fucking knows how many drinks I had. That place was a total dive,” Ray dissed. He thumbed below Nate’s name where it was written on his frappe. “What was a clean cut pretty boy like you doing there? No offense but you’re like...a Ken doll. What the hell?”

 

“My friend Q-Tip dragged me there,” Nate admitted. “He said I needed to lighten up.”

 

“Wait, Q-Tip is your friend?” Ray tossed his head back and laughed. “Holy shit. I need to send him a muffin basket. All this time, that weirdo knew the hottest guy I’ve ever seen and was hiding him. That’s wild.” He was still chuckling when he took the top off the parfait and started to stir it up. He took a bite and smile around the spoon when he caught Nate blushing. “God, you’re cute.”

 

“You’re not awful yourself.” His flirty reply was undercut by the way he accidentally banged his shin on the metal table stand.

 

Ray snorted in amusement. “Thanks.”

 

“Seriously,” Nate pushed, staring down at his coffee and ignoring the throb in his leg. “Actually you’re...you looked good last night and seeing you _now_ , I-” Nate buried his face in his palms and a nervous laugh bubbled out of him. “I feel so shallow! I was here worrying what kind of person you were and suddenly I feel better just because you look clean and hot?” He peeked through his fingers. “Please don’t think badly of me? So far I’ve been an ass of a markmate.”

 

“I was too though,” Ray conceded. “I really made you uncomfortable. Shit, bro, I almost scared you off.”

 

“About that. I was…” Nate bit the side of his lip.

 

“Say whatever you’re thinking,” Ray insisted. “We gotta be all open communication about this shit if it’s going to work. ‘Cause, uh, I got something I want to tell you too.”  


  
Ray quickly stuck the straw back in his mouth before he kept running it. It made Nate a little queasy.

  
  
“Okay. I’ll go first then.” The student cleared his throat and readjusted his grip on his coffee. “How you came on was crude and disgusting. I’ve never given people who act like that a second look. I won’t be treated like a piece of meat. I’ve been thinking about this soulmate thing a long time and maybe my idea is too rigid. Maybe I...I need to be more open minded but you can’t imagine how excited I am that you’re here. I’m sorry we met like that but finding you is _exhilarating_.”

 

Nate felt as bold as he was flustered. He reached across the table and took Ray’s hand. It was cold from the drink and they both jumped at the rush of sensation. Nate wouldn’t admit it out loud but he swooned when Ray burst into a smile, eyes crinkling up in the corner.

 

“I’m sorry I came onto you like that,” Ray apologized sincerely. “I just kinda knew you’d say no so I wanted to say I flirted with the most beautiful guy in the whole room.”

 

Nate’s ears burned and he scrubbed his hand across one. “Yeah? Just the most beautiful _guy_?”

 

“Yeah, well,” Ray drawled. “There was this redhead there earlier and I begged her to go home with me and she turned me down.”

 

Nate was starting to catch on to his humor. “Bummer.”

 

“You’re telling me,” Ray sighed dramatically. “I had to go home all alone and think about my gorgeous markmate and how I fucked it up. I’ve been up all night making lists and plans and shit about how to win you over. I filled a whole little notebook. I’d show you but the fool proof plans are kind of woven in with really bad, sappy poetry.”

 

That made Nate’s heart flutter wildly. “I’d love to read it.”

 

“Maybe I’ll show you after I tell you something that usually sends people running.” Ray sat up straighter and Nate followed suit. Their hands reluctantly returned to their coffees. Ray let out this shaky, nervous chuckle. “I, uh - wow. How do I say this and not piss you off?” Um.”

 

“Are you already dating someone?” Nate asked calmly. He was sick to his stomach at the thought of it. He had no right to feel negatively toward a partner of Ray’s. It had nothing to do with him. A markmate was a random happenstance with no way to be accounted for. “Because that’s not a problem. We don’t even know what kind of relationship we’re going to have. If you have someone, we can sit down with them and discuss it.”

 

“Nate, I can tell you right now that I want something romantic and sexy with you,” Ray stated bluntly. “If you don’t, that’s fine. But I’m putting it out there that I want it. And fuck no, I’m not dating anyone. Are you?”

 

“No, no,” Nate assured him quickly, stuffing down the relief he felt. “I’m concentrating on school.”

 

“ _Oh_.” It was Ray’s turn to look disappointed. “So you’re not looking for, uh...this?” He gestured between them before swirling his fingers through the condensation on his cup. “I guess I came at a bad time.”

 

Though that deep-rooted uncertainty made Nate want to swaddle Ray up and kiss him senseless, he found it oddly endearing. There were cracks in his armor. The idea of a soulmate had come to life right in front of him and he was glad to find it so human, so real, fragile and warm if he were just brave enough to reach out for it. “I think I should learn your last name before we talk about dating. Mine’s Fick.”

 

“Person.”

 

“And maybe learn what you wanted to tell me?” Nate needled gently.

 

“I have more than one mark,” Ray blurted out, the cup crinkling under his tight grip.

 

Nate nearly choked on his own spit. “H-How many?”

 

“Three. Two plus yours. This is…” Ray rubbed the back of his neck before tilting his head to show off the words there. “It’s so metal. I love all of them though. Yours looks badass where it is but you can’t pay for good ink like this.”

 

“ ‘That shit will kill you’,” Nate read, craning his neck to see the whole phrase printed along Ray’s neck. The handwriting looked familiar. “Well, yeah, that sounds like something someone would say to you a lot.”

 

“Oh yeah. But one day, it’s gonna be The One,” Ray declared. “Well, one of my Ones. Wherever the other two are.” He frowned as he realized he hadn’t given Nate time to react. “But seriously, Nate, you already mean a lot to me. Don’t be too pissed off with me.”

 

“Why the fuck would I be pissed off?” Nate asked, elated and giddy. He shucked off his jacket and pulled his shirt aside. His buttons strained as he showed off the words arching over his shoulder. “I have three. Two, plus yours.”

 

Ray stared at the soul mark in pure disbelief. “This is legit the craziest thing. I’ve read about multiple soul marks. It’s always weird shit but this is like...destiny or something. This is symmetry, man. This is _romantic_.”

 

“It really is,” Nate gushed. He wasn’t sure his cheeks would ever stop burning in a blush. “I must look stupid. I can’t believe how happy I am. I never let myself hope that my markmates would have other marks that might belong to mine.”

 

“We should compare the handwriting!” Ray insisted. “I’d show you the other one but it’s not in a public friendly place.” Nate hid his grin behind his knuckles as Ray waggled his eyebrows. “Where are yours?”

 

“My shoulder and my chest here, over my heart.” Nate touched the spot of his beloved soulmark. “And yours is, uh…”

 

Ray’s grin was slow and filthy. “Oh, Nathaniel Fick. You _dog_. Where is it? Come on. Tell me, tell me, tell me.” He sang teasingly, ducking down and taking a long drink out of the sweet treat. “It’s nasty, isn’t it? Is it on your dick?”

 

“It’s stupid and embarrassing,” Nate corrected him quickly. Ray’s playfulness was contagious. “And if you play your cards right I’ll show you.”

 

“Baby, I’ll do anything,” Ray swore earnestly. “Whatever you want. I’m all yours.”

 

Nate swallowed thickly as his heart did a flip-flop, thumping insistently against his ribs as it tried to tell him it was falling in love. He rubbed his chest to quiet it down. “I actually have a midterm to study for. I really should’ve been doing that last night instead of partying. But I want to get together again. Would you want to or did me being an asshole scare you off?”

 

“I really want to,” Ray assured him, glancing down at Nate’s school bag. “I don’t want to keep you though. You still want to hang out and talk and all that?”

 

“I really want to,” Nate echoed.

 

“And maybe...platonic? Romantic-y?” Ray pried gently. “ ‘Cause you look straight.”

 

“I’m not,” Nate promised. He drank his lukewarm coffee with a sigh as the sweetness perfected the moment. He stood and slung his bag over his shoulder, double checking his wallet and phone. He leaned down and pecked a chaste kiss on Ray’s cheek, feeling him smile under his lips. “I’m pan, by the way. So I’m ready for anything.”

 

“Holy shit I’m lucky,” Ray breathed, touching his sleeve briefly. “Call me?”

 

“Of course.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

Nate invited Ray over while he studied in hopes of casually getting to know each other. His apartment wasn’t impressive, cluttered and clumpy and plain, but he wasn’t ashamed of it. Ray brought pizza and Nate resisted the urge to tell him he loved him right there and then.

 

“How did you know I was hungry?”

 

“I know you college kids don’t eat.”

 

Ray studied Nate’s bookshelves as the other man poured over research. He whistled lowly and trailed his finger over the spines. “Stanford, man. _Stanford_?”

 

Nate made a low noise before picking up his head. “You got something against Stanford?”

 

“I’m impressed,” Ray assured him. “I’m trying to think of a clever humblebrag tweet about how my markmate is some kind of genius.”

 

Nate stopped typing and pushed up his glasses with the side of his hand. “So what do you do that’s so important, _Josh_?”

 

Ray wrinkled up his nose at his first name.

 

“Yeah, I Googled you.”

 

“Well, smartass. When I’m not writing heartfelt music I’m taking long walks on the beach, volunteering at my local animal shelter, and helping old ladies across the street.” Nate cocked a brow at him and Ray rolled his eyes. “Okay, you caught me. I don’t do the old lady thing. But I do help rehome super cute abandoned dogs like twice a month. My sister works there so I help out whenever I can. Aren’t you lucky to get an upstanding guy like me?”

 

“That _is_ pretty fucking adorable,” Nate conceded, thoroughly intrigued as he stretched out on the couch. “But what kind of job do you do or is just the music?”

 

“I work freelance IT and have a part time gig tricking out rich people’s rides. Screens, fishtanks, boomin’ speakers, nitro, we pump them the fuck out like old MTV style. We do mad crazy work, you should, uh…” Ray dipped his chin almost bashfully and Nate marveled at how he could go from cocky to unsure so quickly. “You should come by the shop sometime.”

 

“I’ve only got my bike.”

 

“Yeah but, like, no one’s going to believe someone like you is my markmate,” Ray rattled off. “The guys already think I’m making you up.”

 

Nate was torn somewhere between flattered and worried that he was getting objectified. “You want to show off?”

 

Ray shrugged sheepishly. “Sounds shitty when you say it like that. I want to show _you_ off. You and the Stanford stuff and these books and I see that fucking guitar in the corner, don’t lie to me and say you’re not creative. A complete spazz like me getting Mr. Boy Next Door? It’s kind of unbelievable.”

 

Nate grinned impishly and pushed his glasses up into his hair. “So you got me, huh?”

 

Ray blushed hotly and it was the cutest thing Nate had ever seen. Bashful was an endearing look on him. He was so precious and Nate felt just as protective of him as he had in the coffee shop but it was getting stronger. “Well, I-I mean, I don’t! We’re just, you know, markmates is all. So we’ve got each other like that. That’s all I meant.”

 

“We do. We’ve got each other,” Nate promised sincerely. There was plenty of room in his apartment to carve out a space for Ray.

 

Ray leaned against the shelves. One of Nate’s bookmarks was caught between his fingers and he fiddled with the lamented card, twirling the tassel. “Do you know why I hit on you that night?”

 

“You said I as the hottest guy in the room,” Nate reminded him.

 

“Well you were. You _are_ in about every room we go into,” Ray snorted. A heavy seriousness was creeping into his voice. “But not just that, and not just me being fucked up. Once I got over the whole ‘maybe my soulmate is a guy’ shit, it got me all hopeful that I could find one of you. So now when I got out and I see someone with beautiful eyes or really nice hair, or someone with a dog, I talk to them.” He laughed to himself and set the bookmark back. “Everytime I kind of hope they have whatever I’m saying under their shirt somewhere. And everytime I’m wrong. But this time I wasn’t.”

 

Ray played with his pendant and Nate sat up further, moving aside his laptop. “Ray…”

 

“I really wanted to meet one of them,” Ray continued earnestly. There was a sadness to it that broke Nate’s heart. “Just one, I told myself. Cause there was no way I’d meet all of them. But how it feels between us, Nate...I hope we meet the other two.”

 

Ray looked to him and his heart overflowed with sweet hope. He’d convinced himself he’d only ever meet maybe one of his soulmates but maybe if they were both looking there was a chance. And if they never found them then maybe that was okay because they had each other.  

 

“That’d be amazing.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

The next time Ray showed up at his door he looked strangely nervous and was holding something bulky under his hoodie. It was good to see him but Nate couldn’t help eyeing the strange lump around his stomach. Had he brought over something papery he didn’t want to get wet? It had been raining all morning. “Uh, hey. I’ve got an essay to outline but there’s some new cooking shows on Hulu if you want to sit and chill?”

 

“I love that shit.”

 

“I know,” Nate teased, pulling open the door. “You want to come in?”

 

“Quick question, do you want to meet my dog?” Ray rushed out in a big breath.

 

“You have a dog?” Nate perked up innocently. “I love dogs!”

 

Ray pulled out the lump in his shirt and presented it, the fat thing cradled in his broad palms like a gift. It was the chubbiest, fluffiest Scottish terrier Nate had ever seen in his life. It wiggled its stubby legs at him and let out a soft boof.

 

It was the last thing Nate had expected and he let out a scream that startled all three of them. Nate took a step back and lost his footing, arms flailing wildly with no help to keep him from landing hard on his ass. Ray hurried through the door and closed it with his hip, gawking at the blond. Nate flushed in humiliation and kept both hands clasped over his mouth to try and stop anymore weirdly unexpected sounds from coming out.

 

When he finally dropped his hands it was to reveal a smile so big it looked like it might be hurting his jaw. Ray snorted out a laugh.

 

“That was probably the best reaction to Boots ever.”

 

“His name is _Boots_?”

 

“Yeah,” Ray pouted. “You got a problem with that?”

 

“Why is he so _fat_?” Nate squealed, grabbing for him. “Let me hold him!”

 

“You’re a jackass,” Ray grumbled as he passed his beloved new pet over. “The shelter couldn’t take him and his last owner apparently got him as a gift and spoiled him rotten until last week he decided he didn’t want him anymore. So now I have a fat puppy.”

 

“I love him,” Nate cooed, rubbing his nose against Boots’ soft head.

 

“Cool. He can be, like, our kid or whatever. First step in any relationship is having a child.”

 

“There’s no way he’s our son. You’re too ugly to make something this cute,” Nate teased mercilessly between peppering kisses on Boots’ little paws. “Yes, you’re a cutie.”

 

“You’re a huge dick,” Ray whined. “You look like this nice Mr. Boy Next Door but you’re an actual fuckhead.”

 

“Hi, Boots, I’m your new mom,” Nate told the puppy as he rubbed at his ears to make him kick his back feet. “And that’s your babysitter because my landlord won’t let me have pets.”

 

Even Ray could admit it was the cutest shit he’d ever seen. _So this is my kid and that’s my fuckhead. Awesome._

 

o0o0o0o

 

Nate wasn’t sure when he decided he wanted to take the next step with Ray. Maybe it was since the beginning or maybe it was right then, in the moment where he realized his jaw was aching and his cheeks were twinged from laughing so much. Ray made him laugh like no other had before. Sometimes the energy got to be too much but he never discouraged him, never shut him up. He wanted to hear  everything Ray had to say even if sometimes he tuned it out. That babble could churn out the most hilarious shit and it cracked him up. He knew a part of it was to try and impress him. He could recognize and appreciate that. But when Ray let down his walls a little and let his real self come out, like now, it had Nate in tears.

 

“And so he calls bullshit on this milkshake theory and flips the motherfucker over right there before the server can say anything,” Ray told, hands gesturing wildly as they both ignored the movie on TV. “And it’s this sickly bright yellow because it’s banana. And I swear to God this happened - the fucking glass _broke_. It cracked in two places and of course it spills out like a fucking tidal wave.”

 

Nate laid a hand on Ray’s shoulder and pulled him into a kiss before he lost his nerve. They were both laughing and it was kind of a smush rather than a kiss but it was sugar sweet, giggles dying between their lips as they realized what was happening.

 

“Oh wow,” Ray sighed, lashes fluttering as he looked over his face. “That’s...that’s nice. Really nice. What was that for?”

 

“Because I wanted to,” Nate replied. He shrugged, trying to come off cool, but he knew his ears were at the very least pink. He felt warm all over and all he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss him again. His lips were a little chapped but they had felt so good underneath his own. “Is that...okay?”

 

“That’s more than okay, babe.” Ray made a show of puckering up. “Do it again?”

 

Nate tried to smother his giggle behind his fingers. “Tell me the rest of the story first.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

Ray hadn’t touched a drink or a joint all night for just this reason. He wanted to remember everything. It had only been two weeks and maybe they were moving fast but it had started when Nate had asked to touch his mark.

 

“Fair’s fair.”

 

“Do you want to see mine?

 

Kissing Nate was nothing like he’d expected. He’d expected something like powder sugar and giggles and nuzzling. And oh boy, he got that when it started. But the further into the apartment they got, the closer to the bedroom, the kisses warmed until he felt every press like a lick of fire. Nate’s wide, full mouth demanded nothing less than his complete attention as he possessively licked between Ray’s lips. They surged at one another, tugging at each other’s clothes. Their teeth found the long line of jaws, the soft of pulses, lush lower lips that swelled under the attention.

 

Nate kept throwing him up against the walls whenever he wanted to kiss harder and it was really hitting all of Ray’s buttons. He never considered himself someone who liked to get manhandled but Nate shoving him against something solid and crowding all up in his space, kissing him within an inch of his life and grabbing his ass? It was _really_ doing it for him. Though Nate had some muscle on him, Ray returned the favor. He smacked Nate into the plaster and bit just under his jaw while their hips met in a dirty grind.

 

By the time they made it to the bedroom they were laughing breathlessly and so hard they were getting a little dizzy from the blood rush.  

 

“Take off your shirt,” Ray demanded as he tried to hop out of his jeans. Nate rolled his eyes but obeyed, exposing the words over his heart and shoulder. But Ray had seen those. “Where’s mine?”

 

That got Nate going all shy on him again. “It’s, uh, at the bottom of my back.”

 

Ray doubled over from how hard his cock throbbed. “Shit. You’re killing me, man. Get the fuck on the bed already.”

 

But when Ray kissed him it was sweet, softening his words into a request. Nate kissed him back, a wordless promise that he was okay with it, and then they were pulling at each other again. Ray wasn’t sure when they got on the bed but he’d never forget the coy look Nate gave him before shedding his shirt and turning onto his belly. Ray watched, transfixed, as Nate writhed beneath him and then gathered up the sheet to rest his cheek against. His tan arms curled into the folds and he let out a long, sweet sigh as he presented the long line of his back.

 

He was gorgeous and Ray crossed himself. _Please God don’t let me wake up from this wet dream. Hallelujah. Amen and all that._

 

Ray climbed onto the back of Nate’s thighs and shamelessly ran his hands over them. They gave and he wanted to bury his face between them to leave hickeys the man would remember for days. They had talked briefly about the color system so he felt pretty safe doing whatever unless Nate colored out, or vice versa. Though Ray could admit he was so turned on he was pretty sure his dick was game for anything.

 

Nate kept stealing looks at him and squirming. How could he resist?

 

Ray covered him and laid kisses all along his nape. He suckled faint marks into his throat and along the bridge of his shoulders. He nibbled on a spot that could be hidden by a shirt as he squeezed a hand between Nate and the bed to start undoing his jeans. He could see bits and pieces of his mark in the dimple of Nate’s lower back but he wanted the full experience.

 

Ray was so hot and bothered he couldn’t stop from grinding just once against the swell of Nate’s ass. They both sighed in pleasure at that. “You can’t even imagine how fucking hot it is that you have a tramp stamp for me.”

 

“It’s not a _tramp stamp_.”

 

Ray moaned at Nate’s sweet, petulant little whine. He curled his fingers in the waistband of his jeans and boxers and started pulling them down. Just to be cruel he stopped right before he felt heft of Nate’s cock, keeping it trapped as he exposed the top of his ass. Ray let his weight rest on Nate’s thighs as he sat back to admire his words. He ran his hands down Nate’s sides and soaked in the delicate little shiver, goosebumps cropping up all over. A whole slew of tingles were coming through the bond like foreplay, like whatever was between them knew he was going to touch the mark. The words above Ray’s own dick were throbbing and making it hard to concentrate.

 

Always greedy, Ray tugged Nate’s pants down a little bit further to see his peach fuzz ass. It was firm when he rubbed his thumbs over the fatty curves. He loved how good Nate looked all spread out like this, erotic but covered like soft core porn. And there were Ray’s words, scratchy and perverse but perfect on Nate’s skin.

 

**_to the blond twink with the fuck me lips_ **

 

“Come on,” Nate pouted. He’d never heard had someone beg so cutely while they basically fucked a bed. “Touch it.”

 

“Oh should I touch it? Would you like that? Huh? Want me to touch my mark?” It would’ve been dirty talk except his excitement was bubbling through. Nate glared at him over his shoulder and he shot him a wink.

 

When Ray finally spread his fingers over the words and pressed down they both moaned. He rubbed his thumbs along it and the hair on the back of his hair stood up. Pinpricks danced up and down his spine and his cock was starting to really soak his boxers. Ray bent down and kissed the ink, lips fizzling. He sucked in a shaky breath and rested his forehead in the dip of Nate’s back. He breathed in the warm scent of the man and wondered not for the first time what he’d done to deserve this.

 

“This is fucked,” Ray rasped.

 

Nate stopped humping the bed and his brow furrowed up. “What’s wrong?”

 

Ray shook his head and sat up, urging him to turn over. Nate flopped over and his underwear was bulging, cock still wrapped up and half in his jeans. Ray straddled him again and ducked down to kiss him.

 

The mood change had Nate frowning more deeply and wrapping his arms around him. “What is it?”

 

“You’re just...really great,” Ray confessed with pained, self deprecating chuckle. “You’re fucking hot and you’re _smart_ and funny and I can’t figure out why you’re here with me.”

 

Nate startled at that. They’d been dating for a few weeks and he’d been convinced they’d moved past this. “Ray-”

 

“I want to be good enough for you,” Ray bit out before he could push it down again. The way the fear ripped out of his throat made him feel raw all the way through and his dick flagged. “Sorry. Fuck. I killed the mood. I was-”

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Nate snapped. Unwavering authority struck through every word and Ray’s clacked from how fast he shut his mouth. Nate cupped his jaw and reared up to kiss him hard. He bit on Ray’s lip until he finally hissed in pain and only then did he pull back. There was emerald fire in his eyes. “I don’t want to hear that stupid shit.”

 

“Dude-”

 

Nate surged up and pushed him onto his back without preamble. Ray yelped, caught off guard, bouncing on the bed and head nearly scooting right off the edge. Nate crawled up his body and straddled him, pinning him firmly. A firm, wet kissed laid under his jaw and Ray melted. “I’m here because I want to be. Because I like you. More than like you.”

 

It was a blatant confession and it stole Ray’s retort right off his tongue. Nate sat up and after a moment of collection could finally meet his eyes. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to, Ray. Soulmate or not. Don’t you think I’m just as baffled as to why the fuck you’re here with me?”

 

“Why?” Ray blurted out despite the stern glare. “You’re literally three pay grades above me.”

 

“Because I’m boring.” Nate wrinkled his nose and Ray could see that brilliant mind whirring as he made a mental list of all his flaws. Ray wanted to blow him right then to make him erase that list. “I don’t know how to make time for anyone and I don’t have a lot of friends. Fuck that guitar, Ray, I suck at it. I can’t make music or write or do anything creative like you can. I see you busting out music and I think what the fuck is this guy doing in my apartment eating my Lucky Charms when he could be surrounded by talented people?”

 

“Nate,” Ray murmured as he cupped those smooth cheeks. He thumbed at Nate’s candy pink lip before kissing him again. “Babe, you know why I’m here.”

 

“Yeah?” Nate croaked, cracked open and vulnerable. “Why?”

 

He squished Nate’s cheeks until his mouth puckered up. “Because you keep buying those Lucky Charm and I’m a slut for sugar. God Himself could not keep me from free cereal.”

 

Nate laughed and batted at his hands, showing that sunlit smile. The sound cracked the tension in the air. “I bought them on a whim you know.”

 

“ _And_ you keeping buying them. For _me_. Which is like-” Ray mimed his mind being blown and got another laugh.

 

“So are you saying you want me to blow your mind and not your dick?” Nate asked, tongue flicking over his canine as he grinned. That flash of wet pink tongue was all Ray’s dick needed to perk back up.

 

“Well, I, yeah...you know, if you wanted or…”

 

“Shut up and get laid.”

 

o0o

 

When they did finally fuck, Ray let Nate take the lead. They kept touching their words on one another and it crashed on them like waves, drawing them in and receding only to threaten to take them back under. They slowed down their kisses and the rhythm of their hips. Nate used too much lube and kept checking to make sure he was okay but confidence and familiarity came with time.

 

It wasn’t supposed to be perfect. It was supposed to feel good. And Ray was flying. His mouth was slack under Nate’s as they panted and whimpered embarrassingly into each other’s mouths. They were on the edge, had been since Nate had bottomed out inside him. Ray wasn’t even sure if they were going to get to any real fucking before they came but what they were doing was a rolling boil instead of a hot fire. He liked it. More than liked it. Just like he more than liked Nate.

 

Nate rolled his hips, grinding right across his prostate, and panted lightly against his pulse. “Fuck, Ray, you feel good.”

 

“Back at ‘ya, pretty boy.” Ray hardly recognized his own voice. He sounded like he’d been drinking.

 

Nate clung to him and kissed with a new desperation at his throat. “I want you here.”

 

Ray giggled, high on bliss as his cock drooled between their sweaty stomachs. “I fucking hope so.”

  
  
“N-No, I-” Nate lifted his head and looked at him earnestly, devastated and awed and a dozen other tangled up emotions. “Here with _me_. Please, just...stay? Okay?”

 

It didn’t make sense but it didn’t need to. The feedback loop of their bond was tearing them apart at the seams. They were falling blindly but they weren’t alone. They had found each other. They had beaten the odds.

 

Ray laid a hand over the words on Nate’s shoulder and the gesture was returned on his nape with a damp palm.

 

Maybe, together, they could do it again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this, let me know and I'll keep writing it :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray meets Brad, Nate meets Mike - oh boy.

Mike spotted the pretty kid nearly two streets over. He tried not to gawk like a creep but something about the guy caught his eye. He was tan with wide shoulders and blond, shaggy hair that trapped the sunlight. He was just Mike’s type. The kid stopped long enough at the crosslight for Mike to catch up. He was looking at his phone when he burst into a smile.

 

_Precious_. Mike smiled to himself and buried his hands in his pockets. The kid looked like a sunbeam and here he was acting like a perv. He was probably Brad’s age at most. Mike wasn’t too far behind the guy so he slowed down a little to put some distance between them. 

  
  
Except the kid had his headphones in and started walking across the street without so much as glancing up from his phone. It was careless to do on a busy street at the best of times. Mike saw the car turning the corner too fast, he saw the light change. The kid was the only one crossing and it didn’t look like the car was slowing down. Two different people yelled for him to move but he didn’t even flinch.

 

Mike went with his gut instinct and hit into a sprint. He caught the blond around the waist and picked him right up off his feet. He hardly weighed more the beams Mike carried in construction so it wasn’t hard to take him right up off the street. His feet tripped up on the sidewalk though and he stumbled and hurled them both right into the subway map sign. He didn’t mean to slam the kid into the plexiglass but at least he managed to catch himself with his palms on either side of his shoulders to keep from crushing him. 

 

The kid’s earbuds had popped out and he was staring wide eyed at him. His breaths came in ragged little pants and he looked somewhere between terrified and awestruck. He looked like a startled kitten and Mike’s chest swelled with a protective urge. Their noses were almost touching. It would’ve been so easy to hug him and rub his back.

 

“Careful, darlin’,” Mike drawled, fingers twitching against the glass. 

 

The kid swallowed heavily and blinked at him with those big, emerald eyes. “You saved me.”

 

Their breaths hitched in near unison, mouths dropping open that much more. It was a familiar feeling. A year ago Mike wouldn’t have dared to hope but now he acted, craving to know. He reached up and tentatively slid his palms along each side of the man’s throat. Sharp sparks danced between their skin and everywhere he touched felt like it was burning up. The kid’s head tipped back and sighed sweetly under Mike’s palms. Those sparks turned to liquid heat that poured through both of them and pooled low in their stomachs. 

 

Mike was drawn to the kid like a magnet. He wanted to be closer but he wasn’t sure how much more ‘closer’ he could be in public. The kid grabbed his arms and held tight, fingers curling in his jacket. They shivered together and waited for the tingles to pass though it took a while. The energy of the bond was feeding off their skin-to-skin contact like a feedback loop, a livewire of sensation. 

 

When the kid finally opened his eyes again there was no small amount of affection in them. “Hi.”

 

“Hey there,” Mike husked. “You okay, kid?”

 

“Nate. My name’s Nate Fick.”   
  


  
Mike thumbed along the blond’s pulse and loved the way he shivered again. He could feel the faint bond between them thrumming right alongside what he felt for Brad. The sensations were starting to twine together in a second heartbeat. It was a strange feeling but he liked it. “I’m Mike Wynn. And this feels like-”

 

“I know,” Nate laughed sharply, still stunned and slump against the sign. “Wow. Is this real?”

 

“Well, I’ve got ‘you saved me’ on my stomach,” Mike pointed out with a little grin. “Wanna’ check?”

 

Nate’s grin was twice as bold. “Yeah, I do.”

 

Mike purposefully let his gaze slid over the boy and he relished the way he all but preened from the attention.

 

“Mine’s here,” Nate said as he took his wrist. He guided Mike’s hand over to his heart. There was a faint _zing_ even through a layer of clothing. A lesser man would’ve tugged down his collar to see but Mike restrained himself. “I was on my way home but my favorite coffee place is around the corner. Do you want to grab something to drink with me?”

 

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Mike remembered that he’d promised to meet Brad tonight but it was still early. “I’ve got a few hours.”

 

o0o

 

Ray usually wasn’t into gym rats but this new place he was going to was kind of high end. It seemed to be mostly full of physical trainers and health nuts but it was members only. He really hated getting hit on or listening to steroid-sucking assholes grunt and rant about their new routine. This place was chill and abandoned most of the time so he could work out in peace. He had to look good for his blond teddy bear.

 

Ray grinned to himself at the nickname Nate hated so much. He was starting to think he had a type because a leggy blond had caught his eye. The guy had been strutting around from machine to machine for the past hour and Ray tried not to let his stare be obvious. It wasn’t cool to gawk at people at gyms but this guy was pretty fucking impressive. He was all golden tan and whipcord muscle, beach blond hair and a perfectly chiseled jaw with piercing blue eyes. 

 

He was like a viking and a surfer had a baby and Ray was totally into it. 

 

He kept trying to look for a soul mark but the guy was wearing a tank top that must’ve hidden it. Ray hadn’t ever bothered with tape but he felt a little branded with his words wrapped around his nape. If it had been a year ago, Ray would’ve gone and hit on the guy immediately, but now he had his own blond Greek god at home.

 

Well, more like a pretty blond prince. But still. He had Nate and this was just some window shopping while he worked on his legs. 

 

What he didn’t know was that the blond was sneaking looks at him in the mirror. Ray’s eyes were glued to his ass and calves so he didn’t notice the smirk, the knowing leer as he admired him right back.

 

Brad bent over more than necessary to swipe his phone out of his bag. He stayed half bent, one hand braced on the rail while the other typed out a quick message to Mike. _‘Some hot fuck is checking me out at the gym. You jealous?’_

 

Brad snickered to himself when he straightened up and saw the dark haired guy ogling his ass. The guy caught him looking and quickly went back to his reps with a forced concentration. He was pretty hot for a lurker.

 

o0o

 

Nate took Mike to the same place he’d taken Ray the day after they’d met. It was close to the same booth, one tucked into the corner with a small table so they could lean over to be close to each other. Nate wasn’t sure what he wanted to tell Ray yet so he put off that text for now. He wasn’t sure how real this connection with Mike was. He wanted to make sure that Mike was a good guy before he got his boyfriend involved. But the guy had such a sweet smile and a deep laugh and he looked so warm. Nate found himself wanting to crawl into his arms and nap against that broad chest.

 

It was a weird urge for someone he just met. 

 

Meeting Mike was so different from meeting Ray. The tingles were the same, the warmth, the connection tugging between them. His chest was tingling where the words were. With Ray it was bold and brass, it was overwhelming. But in front of him Mike already looked in love and it was making Nate flutter all over. The attention was flattering. Mike was asking him what he did, what college, how it was going, what he was studying, did he have any siblings - it was curious and casual but it all felt genuine.  

 

“Enough about me,” Nate finally cut himself off. 

 

“There’s never gonna be ‘enough’ with a smile like that, darlin’,” Mike flirted openly. Nate felt himself blushed. “You go pink so easy. Forgive an old man for teasing.”

  
  
“You’re _not_ old,” Nate snorted as he rubbed his warm cheek. Ray teased him so much about how easy he blushed.

 

“My marks came late. I’m sure I’m a lot older than all of you,” Mike scoffed. He paused with his coffee up to his mouth, lips tightening as Nate’s mouth dropped. _Marks_. More than one. 

 

“No fucking way.”

 

Mike set his drink down and scratched through his short hair.  “Listen kid-”

 

“Don’t ‘kid’ me,” Nate cut him off. He pulled off his jacket off and yanked his shirt aside just like he’d done with Ray. He showed off the words on his shoulder. “Look.”

 

Mike read them with a small frown. “Those aren’t my words.”

  
  
“And the ones on my back aren’t yours either.” Nate was suddenly unsure as he fixed his shirt. “I have three marks, Mike.”

 

Mike scrubbed a hand over his face with a harsh breath. He couldn’t stop his eyes from stinging but he refused to cry no matter how overwhelmed he felt. Not in public and certainly not in front of Nate. “Fucking hell.”

 

“I can’t breathe,” Nate admitted. He was clutching his chest but he was smiling. 

 

Mike reached across the table and took his hand, their fingers sliding easily so he could massage his thumb into his palm. “Just breathe, darlin’.”

 

Nate wanted to melt under that touch but something nagged at him. He thought of Ray and how much he’d like Mike and it stopped him dead in his tracks. Ray wouldn’t have a problem with this but what if the bond wasn’t complete? What if his markmates were all somehow different from the others?

 

“Mike, there’s something I have to tell you.”

 

o0o

 

Somehow Ray and Brad had circled around the gym enough to end up side by side on the seated leg presses. Ray’s weight was heavier but Brad’s reps were faster, tighter, speaking of experience as a personal trainer. He was trying to build lean muscle and stamina while Ray was kind of just trying to show off. The mirror was only one aisle over and they took turns watching each other. It was almost a game of who would catch who. 

 

Ray hoped he wasn’t drooling. The blond was starting to work up a sweat and it only made him glisten like a sun bathed demigod. His lips were pink but his bottom one was a bit puffy from biting at it. He was trying not to imagine what it would be like to be on the receiving end of all that power. Or to have it all stretched out in his bed.

 

Brad tried to stop chewing his damn lip so much but the dark haired man beside him was making it hard. He was shorter than him by a full head but he made up for it in bulging thighs and sharp cheekbones. He had these almost-dimples that appeared when he smiled, even if it was just to himself. He had these wide, dark, expressive eyes that were hard to look away from.

 

They both hung their heads in shame as they remembered they had hot, willing, loving men at home. They were being gross and they had to stop. But within another minute they were back to stealing looks. 

 

It was Ray who had the balls to finally say something and of course it was when Brad stretched and bent down to grab his water bottle off the floor. His shirt had ridden up to expose his colored back tattoo and Ray couldn’t help but snort. “That’s a lot of ugly ink, dude.”

 

“I’m sure it’s better than what your dad got in prison,” Brad snapped instinctively, bristling. But the tension snapped and burned out completely when they recognized the words. The bottle fell from Brad’s limp fingers and clattered to the floor.

 

They gawked at each other through the mirror. 

 

o0o

 

Nate described how he met Ray, how they had moved on to dating, and that he was for sure his markmate. The story was much shorter than he’d anticipated but he’d cut out a lot of detail.

 

“I don’t want to spoil it,” Nate explained. “I want you to meet him unbiased and make your own opinion.”

 

There was a tight knot in Mike’s gut and at the bottom of his throat but he swallowed past them and smiled. He wasn’t allowed to be grumpy because Nate was dating someone. They obviously cared about one another and it sounded like a good relationship. He should’ve been happy for them.

 

But Nate was a perceptive brat and picked up on it. He gave him a hard look and squeezed his hand until Mike finally opened his mouth. “Fine. Maybe I’m worried I won’t fit. It’s not a big deal.”

 

“He’s going to love you. You’re so…” Nate trailed his fingers up his arm, biting his lip when Mike purposefully flexed. “ _ Nice _ .”

 

He quirked a brow at that. “Just nice, huh?”

 

“I’m sorry, I must seem horribly shallow,” Nate apologized, briefly hiding his eyes in the curl of his fingers. “I-I’m excited to get to know you more. I don’t mean to come off, uh, desperate. Jesus, I’m acting like I’m in a dry spell or something. Ray keeps me plenty busy.”

 

Mike grinned at him and Nate’s cheeks burned hotter. “I-I mean he’s- we’re - well we  _ do _ sleep together. But not around or anything! We’re exclusive. We  _ were _ !” He corrected quickly, squeezing Mike’s hand. He was smiling and his cheeks were that fetching shade of red that Mike was starting to love so much. He was such a cute kid. “He’s going to be thrilled to meet you. I haven’t texted him yet. I don’t know what to say. It should be a surprise both ways. That’s the best way to come at Ray or else he bolts.”

 

“He’s a nervous thing, is he?”

 

“He’s skittish,” Nate corrected gently.

 

Mike waved him off. “Alright, don’t tell me anymore. I want to learn it all myself.”

 

“He’s going to love you,” Nate promised, giddy at the prospect of his boyfriend and their possible third meeting. “If you two are markmates, I wonder if I’ll feel anything when you touch each other’s words?”

There was a huskiness to Nate’s voice. Mike loved how the boy said it like he was talking about them rubbing cocks. He cursed himself for being an old fool but he already adored Nate. It felt like it did with Brad and it seemed like there was romance in their future. 

 

“ _Fuck_.”

 

Nate frowned at the sudden curse. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Brad,” he groaned simply. 

 

“Brad?” Nate repeated with a frown. The furrow in his brow disappeared as he tried to school his features into something neutral to hide the jealous sting. “Oh...you have someone already? Well, of course you do. Look at you. Successful, handsome guy and everything.” Nate pulled back and looked down at his clasped hands. “I guess I came on too strong and read this wrong. I’m sure he’s great. I’d love to meet him.”

 

Nate sounded disheartened and it hit Mike right in the chest. Mike closed that distance again and took up Nate’s hand. “I hope you will. He’s my markmate.” Nate’s head picked up and he looked tenderly hopeful. “He might be _our_ markmates, just like Ray might be ours.”

 

“If you and this Brad are, and me and Ray are, and you and me...it has to keep going, doesn’t it?”

 

He thumbed across his knuckles. “I hope so.”

 

o0o

 

They’re heading for the shower before they really know what they’re going to do. The room was long with one wall full of stalls. It was all clean tile and the glass doors were frosted. No one was going to be there at five PM on a Tuesday. Ray was leading him by the hand and Brad was already obsessed with touching the soul mark on Ray’s nape. It made his fingertips tingle the way touching Mike’s other soulmarks did. He wondered if maybe they were all connected somehow. It wasn’t that much a of a stretch logically but it was unheard of. 

 

“How many marks do you have?” Brad marveled. 

 

“Three. Just like you. Which is still blowing my mind,” the guy through his chin toward the farthest stall. “You wanna’ fool around?”

 

Brad’s was dick was already halfway there and his blood was all rushing south fast. The guy had told him his name, Ray, but Brad was really struggling to stay grounded. “Here in a gym shower? That’s fucking gross.”

 

“I’ll show you your mark,” Ray tempted. 

 

Brad looked around with a scowl, assessing. “That last stall.”

 

They burst into the far stall so hard the door smacked dangerously off the wall. Their kiss was sloppy and brutal, more tongue and enthusiasm than any technique. They were running off an adrenaline rush caught between working out and finding another markmate. Their lips and fingers were tingling as they groped each other through their loose clothes.

 

Brad shouldn’t have been doing this but that doubt was smothered up as Ray clawed at the tape on his spine. “Is that mine? Please tell me it is, man.”

 

“It is,” Brad rasped. He felt the line of Ray’s dick against his leg and he moved fast to catch him off guard. He flipped them so Ray’s back hit the wall and then dug in his discarded bag for a towel. He folded it up, ignoring Ray’s snicker, and laid it down so he could kneel on it without cutting up his knees. 

 

“Jesus Christ, princess, do you want a pillow down there?” Ray teased, pupils blown out at the sight of Brad on his knees. He choked on his own tongue when Brad tugged his shorts down enough to expose his other soulmark. Brad shot him a smirk before eyeing the _**Goddamn it**_ above his cock. He brushed it with his nose and could feel the ghost of a bond there like a tug behind his navel. Ray smiled dreamily down at him. “That’s Nate’s. Don’t know who the other one is but you’re on my thigh.”

 

Ray parted his legs and hiked one up to show the start of black ink high up on his inner thigh. Brad knew they both smelled like fresh sweat and deteriorating deodorant. It was male and present but not repugnant. “We should really clean up.”

 

“You don’t gotta’ suck me off or anything, Christ,” Ray whined. He shook his leg with a pout. “Just touch it so we know for sure.”

 

Brad laid his hand on the mark and they were both reduced to throaty whines as pure white lightening shot up and down their spines. They shivered from their toes to their knees, the hair on their arms standing up and goosebumps prickling up all over their exposed skin. Ray grabbed onto Brad’s shoulders to keep from tipping over and the blond clung to his thighs. For a second neither of them could breathe. 

 

Brad massaged along the soulmark and could feel his own burning in response. This was undeniable and suddenly he didn’t care that they were sweaty strangers in a public shower. In all his flailing, Ray had closed and locked the stall door and that was just going to have to be enough. Brad hiked up Ray’s shorts and kissed the letters. He could taste sweat and his whole mouth buzzed. 

 

Ray moaned shamelessly and his tongue went loose. “You’re gonna’ love Nate, Brad. He’s so fucking gorgeous and he’s smart and you wouldn’t think a college kid like that would be funny but he is. He’s blond, just like you.” Though he was talking about some other man, Brad couldn’t help but note how gentle his fingers were when they carded through his hair. “He’s got these big green eyes and this pretty pink cock. He’s so fuckin good at everything and you’re gonna’ love him, man. I swear. I do.”

 

“Yeah?” Brad pulled back with a sour heart. Bitter jealousy seared the back of his tongue. He got to his feet with a scowl. “Well why don’t you drag this Nate guy into a gym bathroom and blow his pink dick, asshole.”

 

“Oh my God, you’re so easy to rile up!” Ray laughed in his face. Brad was about to either slap him or walk away. “This is going to be way too much fun, bro. You’re all red.”

 

Brad let out a whoosh of breath as Ray grabbed him by his shirt and flipped him around. His back smacked into the tile and it was Ray’s turn to kneel on the tile. Brad was about to protest but it was his turn to choke as Ray full on yanked down his shorts and boxer briefs. They were fitted and designer and Ray didn’t give a damn as he pushed them down to his knees. Ray sucked him down and it felt like a sucker punch. The air rushed out of him and his blood rushed hot. It was so sudden - hot, wet suction and eager lips. He wasn’t exactly huge but he had a pretty good size and Ray bottomed him out on the first try. 

 

It was extremely sloppy but it was definitely one of the best blowjobs he’d ever received. And not just because he could feel their fresh bond fluttering in his chest.

 

“This is really dirty,” Brad gasped, head thunking against the wall. It felt like Ray was trying to suck his soul out through his dick as he pulled off with a shit eating grin.

 

“My shoes are still on so it’s fine,” Ray blew off before going back to actually blowing him.

 

Brad grit his teeth and took a fistful of short dark hair. He didn’t fuck into that enthusiastic mouth but he held on through each bob. “How are you gonna’ tell _Nate_ about this?”

 

Brad was a little ashamed of how he spat out the name but there was a nagging envy between his ribs. Ray had sounded so fond and loving talking about this guy and he kind of wanted to slap him. Ray pulled off with a teasing suckle at the head, fingers curling around his cock to stroke. Brad’s toes curled in his sneakers at how stupidly good it felt. 

 

“He’s gonna’ be surprised but I think he’ll dig it,” Ray dismissed, licking his puffy lips before swiping his tongue over the ruddy head of his dick. Brad jumped against the wall at the drag of it, friction sizzling pleasure right through his thighs. “You’re pretty hot.”

 

Brad puffed out a heavy breath and let his head hit the wall maybe a little too hard. The pain didn’t do anything but make his dick drip in Ray’s hand. He couldn’t believe this was real but those shocks of skin-to-skin contact were on his cock, his balls, his thighs, traveling all the way up to make his nipples stand out obscenely against his shirt. It would take a while for the touches to normalize but he knew from personal experience that a degree of it would stay. 

 

Brad still teared up a little when Mike bottomed out inside him. All pressed up against him, cock thick and present inside him...that’s when the pleasant buzz of their soul bond was at it’s most potent. (It still sounded stupid to call it that but there was little room to deny something when he could feel it.)

 

And that’s when he thought of his boyfriend.

 

“I-” Brad choked on a moan as he cupped the back of Ray’s neck. He was sucking him loudly right down to the base and he knew he was getting close. “I told Mike I wouldn’t do this anymore.”

 

“Is Mike your boyfriend?” Ray asked with teasing licks up the line of his cock. He frowned when Brad nodded and pulled back. “Wait, you cheat on your _boyfriend_? What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” His hand kept working at a near punishing pace that had Brad’s balls drawing up tight. It was too fast, too tight, and it was really doing it for him.

 

“What are you, some sort of asshole? At least I have permission because we’re markmates!” Ray left a too-hard french kiss at the head of his cock and his feet arched, the man’s hands grabbing his hips and forcing him back flat. “We’re going to sit down and have a talk about loyalty and shit after you bust your nut, Bradley.”

 

Brad scrunched up his nose. “That is _not_ my name.”

 

Ray started to laugh. His shoulder shook with it and he laid his forehead against Brad’s thighs. Through his giggles he managed to rasp out. “Fucking - naughty Bradleys get blown in the gym shower.” 

 

A sudden laugh startled its way out of Brad’s throat and he quickly covered his mouth to stop the sound from bouncing around the tile. He was shocked that he found something so stupid so funny. Ray was grinning up at him with mirth shining in his eyes and somehow Brad was still rock hard.

 

“Huh, maybe we are soulmates,” he remarked. Ray cocked his head at him but he just thumbed at his red lower lip. “We’ll talk after. Unless you don’t want to keep going?”   
  


  
“You bet your sweet ass I do. You just lay back and let Ray-Ray take care of you.” 

 

“Please don’t call yourself that.”

 

“Whatever you say, gorgeous.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you thought!


	5. Ah Fuckle

Despite their long talk about meeting their future markmates, Nate and Ray put it off and agonized on how to tell one another. They danced around each other in their shared apartment, making lame excuses.

 

On the other hand, Mike and Brad had no idea what to say to each other. Unfortunately (or thankfully), Brad had to go on vacation with one of his high end clients who wanted their personal trainer along with them. It was sudden and poorly timed but he couldn’t turn down the shit load of cash it came with. 

 

“We have to talk when I get back,” Brad demanded, bags already down in the limo, an impatient client tapping their foot by the door. 

 

“Yeah we do,” Mike agreed, stealing a kiss. “Call me when you can.”

 

“Always.”

 

They knotted themselves up with guilt over keeping quiet but they didn’t want to rush it. It was a sit-down kind of talk but Brad had to run off or risk losing three months of easy rent money.

 

o0o

 

Nate wasn’t sure when a good time to tell Ray he had found one of their markmates was. It was a complex situation that required finesse and perfect timing. It needed a delicate touch. But when Mike offered to make lunch he sort of just threw all that out the window and invited him over to his apartment. 

 

Nate sprung Mike on Ray while he was on his sixth Rockster Revolt and in the middle of a match in Titanfall with a bunch of his buddies. He was chugging one when Nate came into the apartment, Mike on his heels. He waved with a garbled greeting that echoed wordlessly into the can. 

 

“That’s him.” Nate waved Mike forward, biting nervously at the side of his thumb once the man’s back was to him. He didn’t want to put any pressure on them but he was worried they wouldn’t have a connection. Mike stuffed his hands in his pocket and shuffled forward. He eyed the slew of empty cans, the empty chip bags and candy wrappers, and finally the way he easily crushed the empty Rockstar can when he was done. 

 

“That shit will kill you.”

 

Ray craned his head back and ran his eyes up and down his bulky form with a filthy smirk. “We all got to die, Daddy.”

 

A phantom tingle went through Mike’s thigh and he grinned back at Nate. “He’s the one.”

 

Ray’s jaw dropped as he finally caught up to what he’d heard. He thrashed and knocked over everything around him, limbs flying everywhere as he tried to scramble to his feet. He remembered his headset at the last minute. “I’m out, guys. My super hot soulmate just got here. No, not Nate! There’s another one! Score, right? Peace.”

 

Ray threw it off and got up, trying to clean himself up. His wife beater was threadbare and stained with paint and his sweats had holes but he at least brushed the crumbs off himself.

 

Nate pinched the bridge of his nose. “I specifically asked you not to eat in the living room. I have to vacuum three times a day just to keep up with you.”

 

“I’m sure Ray will be good boy and clean up after himself,” Mike drawled, raking his eyes over Ray’s form with purpose. 

 

“Jesus fucking Christ, you’re hot,” Ray gushed, cheeks going rosy. “Where’s my mark at?” Mike patted his thigh and he nodded approvingly. “Do you want to see yours?”

 

“I can see it like a tacky brand,” Mike tisked, gesturing him closer. “Come here, boy. Let me get a good look.”

 

“Sir, yes, sir.” Ray’s cocky grin bled into his strut as he obeyed. He tilted his head and showed off the hint of black ink. Mike curled his fingers along his nape and Ray’s knees threatened to buckle. But Mike was right there to give him a shoulder to lean on. Nate couldn’t even tease his boyfriend about the way he swooned because he would’ve done the same thing if someone like Mike was rubbing his soulmark.

 

Ray was shivering as familiar tingles shot up and down his spine like an electric current. The low, pleasant pulse of his bond with his mate fluttered before it turned to two. He could feel hums of pleasure in his nape and above his cock now in near unison. His tongue came loose. “I want to climb you like a tree. You mind?”

 

Mike whipped off his coat and held out his arms in invitation. Ray whooped and despite Nate telling him to be careful he hopped up rather carelessly. Mike didn’t even grunt as he caught him with ease, holding him bridal style against his chest like it was nothing.

 

“That’s so fucking cool,” Ray beamed. He threw his arms around Mike’s neck and looked at Nate over his shoulder. “Did you see that shit?”

 

“Pretty impressive,” Nate admitted, admiring how cute they looked. “Ray, this is Mike.”

 

“Hey, Mike. I love blonds,” Ray hummed and raked his nails through Mike’s short hair. “Have you two fucked yet? It’s going to be so fucking hot.”

 

Even Mike blushed a little at that though he laughed and gave him a squeeze. Nate went beet red. “Ray!”

 

“We’re taking it slow, playing it by ear,” Mike replied. He hefted Ray to make him bounce and the boy laughed delightedly at the causal show of strength. “Goddamn, darlin’, you don’t weigh nothing at all. But you’re a forward little thing, aren’t you?”

 

“I’m loving this accent thing.” Ray turned his puppy eyes at Nate and pouted. “Can we keep him, mom?”

 

Nate was smiling so hard it was starting to ache. “Only if you’re good. You have to water and feed him.”

 

“I’ll take him for walks,” Ray promised, crossing his heart. He patted Mike’s shoulder. “Let me down, big guy.” 

 

The careful way Mike set him down made his heart flutter. He shared a knowing grin with Nate. “So, speaking of fucking and walking. I’ve got some news. I found my markmate. I blew him in a gym bathroom and he’s got fuck ugly tattoos.”

 

Ray put his hands on his hips and nodded like he was finished, looking between them expectantly. Mike’s head snapped toward Nate, the sting of his own boyfriend’s name hitting. It was just a coincidence, it had to be. 

 

Nate’s pretty face screwed up in disgust. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly, nose scrunching up. “You went down on him in a gym _bathroom_? That’s unsanitary! Did you wash? Are you going to get tested?” His lips parted in a soft ‘o’. “That’s why we haven’t fooled around in a couple days.”

 

“Like I’d ever risk you, baby,” Ray smoothed over. “I went to get tested after I rinsed off. Everything came back clean yesterday, scouts honor.”

 

“You’re so much better than that,” Nate huffed, arms crossed over his chest. “A gym bathroom. Honestly.”

 

“Which gym?” Mike couldn’t help but ask. “That one on Third with the frosted glass stalls?”

 

“Yep. You go there?”

 

Mike snorted and shot Nate a grin. “No, but my boyfriend Brad does. He’s my markmate. I met him almost a year ago.”

 

“Did I just blow our fourth?” Ray awed. “Did I suck the dick of the last piece of our puzzle?”

 

Nate felt something weird and oddly jealous wriggling between his ribs. He cleared his throat and put on a smile. “I’m glad you two met him. Where is he? Can he come over?”

 

“He’s with a client on their vacation,” Mike replied with a little scowl.

 

Nate pulled a face. “What kind of work does he do?”

 

“He’s a personal trainer. He won’t be back for a few days.” Mike checked his phone and no, Brad hadn’t even messaged him. “He said there was something we needed to talk about when he got back. I thought it would be about work but I think I know what it is now.”

 

“Here I thought _I_ had a surprise,” Nate tried to joke. That tight feeling in his chest didn’t go away and he tried to smother it up with a smile. “I know I brought you over for lunch but maybe you’d want to stay til dinner too? We could all get to know each other.”

 

“And make out. With tongue,” Ray added. 

 

That made Mike laugh. He walked over and took Nate’s hand, kissing the back of it. “I’d love to.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

Nate was fine all through lunch. He laughed with Ray as Mike taught them how to make biscuits from scratch and fried up some chicken. It was indulgent and fatty and deliciously crispy and they ate until they were sick. Nate worked on his homework and Ray whipped Mike at video games, the three of them coming back together for a beer to casually talk over some mind numbing reality TV. Ray loved the stuff and Nate and Mike liked listening to his commentary of it. 

 

But the weird feeling never went away. It swelled in Nate’s chest and got so thick it threatened to choke him. He could feel his smile faltering through dinner and talking normally got harder to do, but he tried. He didn’t want to make things awkward but their stares started to linger. He tried to keep it together but they could see right through him. His marks were burning. 

 

“Alright, that’s enough of that,” Ray stated as he shoved Nate down onto the couch. He gestured Mike over. “Something’s upsetting him. Look at that face. That face can’t hide anything.”

  
Nate shook his head and tried to school his features. “I’m not hiding anything.”

 

“You’re a terrible liar,” Mike tisked. He plopped down beside him and tossed an arm around his shoulders. Ray dropped down between Nate’s knees and laid his hands on his calves, fingers rubbing soothing circles into the tense muscle. “What’s up?”

 

Nate shook his head but his eyes fell shut when Mike’s hand dropped down to rub over his covered mark. Under their hands he started to unwind. “I don’t want to ruin the night.”

 

“You pouting and not telling us what’s wrong is what’ll ruin in,” Ray answered honestly. Mike kicked him in the side but he didn’t back down. “Whats wrong?”

 

“I guess I feel kind of on the outs since you both have been with Brad in some way. I’ve never even seen him and you both like him so much.” Nate chewed his lip, chin ducked to hide his eyes. “Is he a good man? Does he...do this a lot? Go off with strangers and have sex?

 

“Brad isn’t like that anymore,” Mike assured him, thumbing firmly over where Nate’s soulmark was hidden. “I won’t lie to you, we had some rough patches. We worked through it. Having the two of you around, he might try to bolt but he always comes back and he only does it once.”

 

Nate’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean ‘bolt’?”

 

“Don’t think bad of him for it, but he stepped out on me when we first got together,” Mike confessed. It was a wound that had long healed. “He’d never put much stock in this soulmate thing and it freaked him out how close we were. I just want you to know he might try to pull that kind of stunt again. But if he did, he’d only do it ‘cause he’s scared.”

 

“Of what?” Nate demanded. “Of us?”

 

“Of love,” Mike soothed, rubbing his shoulder. “Boy doesn’t know how to be loved right. No one’s ever treated him decent.”

 

Nate chewed on the statement. His jaw turned to steel and he sat up straighter. He turned and shrugged off Mike’s arm. Mike glanced at Ray and the man shrugged. “I won’t be cheated on. Ray and I talked about what would happen if we met our markmates but I won’t have him running off whenever he gets frightened.” 

 

“And you won’t, darlin’,” Mike promised earnestly. “I’ll kick his ass if he does.” He thumbed at Nate’s chin and urged him closer. Nate softened and let himself be kissed with a painful tenderness. His lip trembled, both their marks tingling with purpose. “No one cheats on my markmate.”

 

Nate sighed and took Mike’s hand in his, lacing their fingers. “But it was okay that he did it to you?”

  
“I’m not you. I’ve got my own boundaries and limits,” Mike answered easily, dropping a kiss on his knuckles. “I decide what I’m okay with. Same as you. We’ll talk to Brad and we’ll set new limits. We’ll learn about you, you’ll learn about us, and it’ll be good.”

 

Nate looked to Ray and they shared a smile. It wasn’t as if they weren’t reasonable men but they could feel something solid in Mike. The clean cut reasonability felt like a fresh breath. The tightness in Nate’s chest loosened up and he actually giggled at the way Mike peppered kisses all over his hand. 

 

Ray was practically wagging. “So are you gonna tuck us in and read us a bedtime story, Daddy?”

 

“Ray, stop,” Nate pleaded, ears going all pink. “Ignore him.”

 

Mike shot Ray a wink. “Only if you let me spank you.”

 

“Oh shit.” He turned the puppy eyes on Nate. “I love him, man. Can we keep him?”

 

Nate brushed his fingers over Mike’s stubbled jaw and the man leaned into it. “Yeah. I think we can.”

 

o0o

 

“Look at you,” Mike rumbled as Brad shut the door behind him and dropped his bags. “Tan as a berry and I think you grew a foot.”

 

“Summer camp was great, Dad,” Brad joked. “I made lifelong friends and earned all my merit badges.”

 

Mike rolled his eyes but they both broke into wide grins. Brad ran up to him and Mike caught him easily around his lean waist, grabbing a fistful of blond hair that he swore grew like a weed. Brad’s mouth was surprisingly soft under his, his boyfriend sighing in relief and letting him take his weight. Mike loved how Brad felt in the crook of his arm and licking between those shell pink lips felt like coming home. 

 

“I missed you,” Brad breathed, brushing their noses. Mike hummed and kissed him again but Brad grunted in slight protest. “Wait, Mike...there’s something I should’ve told you before I left. I didn’t want to say it over the phone, but I, uh, met someone before I left. There was this guy at the gym and…” 

 

Brad bit his lip and Mike thumbed at the abused flesh until he let it go. “You’re pretty sure he was your markmate?”

 

Brad gawked at him in disbelief. “Uh.”

 

“And you’re sorry and you won’t do it again?” Mike offered. Brad picked up his jaw and nodded earnestly. “It’s not me you should be apologizing to, it’s to his boyfriend. That’s whose feelings got hurt. I’ve been giving him apology blowjobs all weekend.” Brad’s stomach dropped out as Mike craned his head and called over his shoulder. “Guys, Brad’s home and he’s got something to say.”

 

Nate and Ray came from the kitchen and Brad swallowed thickly at the sight of the new blond. 

 

“Hey, man, this is the Nate I was telling you about,” Ray started babbling but Mike cut him off with a little headshake. They both stepped to the side and pushed their respective blonds toward each other. Nate offered a smile but Brad’s shocked stare was quickly becoming a glower as his eyes raked over him. Nate’s smile slowly flickered out as the nerves mounted. He was almost afraid to open his mouth in fear of screwing it up. What if they weren’t soulmates? What if they were the broken pieces?

 

Brad’s thoughts turned dark as he took Nate in. When his cock hadn’t been shoved down Ray’s throat, he clearly remembered the man going on about his hot soulmate. He looked like he’d stepped off a runway but with frumpy, unstylish clothes that hid what he was sure was a smoking body. He had a generous mouth and green eyes that looked like they were powered by fucking _starlight_. Nice broad shoulders and the slightest curve to his waist. He looked like a twink who topped and he could tell Ray’s type right off the bat. 

 

Brad scowled as he felt bitterness burn like bile up across his tongue. “For fuck’s sake.”

 

Nate swallowed past the lump in his throat and tried not to fiddle. “What’s wrong?”

 

Ray grasped Mike’s hand and squeezed hard. Those were the matching mark words but Brad still looked irked. 

 

“You’re so…” Brad gestured uselessly at him. 

 

Nate drew in on himself and Mike couldn’t bite his tongue. “ _Brad_. You want to rethink what the fuck you’re doing?”

 

“I _think_ I’m pissed off,” Brad bit back. “Look at him!”

 

Nate flinched and Ray surged forward to deck Brad in his stupidly perfect jaw. Mike caught him by the belt at the last second. “You are on thin ice, Brad.”

 

“I’m allowed to be angry!” Brad snarled, jabbing his finger at the disheartened blond. “I can see that sink full of fucking dishes and that basket of laundry, Mike! I sucked off our markmate, sure, but you moved them in for a fucking lovefest while I was gone. I’m supposed to be happy that you’ve been fucking a hot blond for two weeks in our bed?”

 

Nate’s head snapped up at that. “What?”

 

“Save it,” Brad snapped, grimacing at how nice the other’s voice was. “Like you don’t know you’re fucking gorgeous. Of course you’d be hot.” He gestured at him sharply. “Blond, fit, tan - what are you, twenty?”

 

“I’m twenty five.” Nate tried to rub the blush blooming on his cheeks and take back control of the moment he’d been waiting so long for. “I think we’re kind of missing the point of this. We’re soulmates, Brad. And let’s not forget you blew my boyfriend in a gym locker room.” 

 

“ _Once_ ,” Brad countered hotly. “You’ve been fucking my boyfriend in my apartment while I’ve been paying rent, pretty boy. You’re a stranger and I fucking _live_ here so don’t pull that soulmate shit.”

 

“Then let’s not be strangers,” Nate offered sweetly, holding out his hand. “Brad Colbert? I’m Nate Fick. It’s great to finally meet you. Do you want to see your mark?”

 

Brad wrinkled his nose at how damn charming the man was but his feet were already moving. He took his hand and they both sucked in noisy little breaths as tingles shot up their arms. It was familiar but deliciously new all at the same time. Brad shivered at the sense memories - on his knees for Ray, pressed up against Mike on a badly lit sidewalk, and every kiss in between. Nate’s hand lingered on his and he grew bold. He took the other’s wrist to keep him still and let his fingers drift over the buttery smooth palm, the delicate inner wrist, and all the warmth of his forearm. 

 

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” Brad whispered, brow knitted as he watched his hand travel across the man’s skin.   
  
  
  
“It’s okay, really,” Nate assured easily, going red all over again. Sparks of pleasure were racing across their skin, goosebumps cropping up. He grabbed Brad’s belt and tugged him closer. “Where’s your mark?”

 

“It’s on my hip.”

 

Nate hummed and let his fingers travel beneath his shirt. He touched tape above the hard cut of his hip and frowned. “There?”

 

“I keep them covered,” Brad offered lamely. 

 

“Don’t?” Nate murmured, nails grazing the edge. “I want to to touch.”

 

Brad cupped the back of his neck and brought him that last bit closer. They didn’t kiss but it was achingly close. Their noses brushed, foreheads just touching, and they sighed across his each other’s lips. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

 

“The tape-”

 

“It won’t hurt,” Brad hushed. 

 

Nate nodded and ripped it off as quickly as he could. Brad didn’t make a noise but his fingers squeezed in a pulse along Nate’s neck. He’d always thought the words on his shoulder were mundane but his own on Brad’s skin were worse. He knew that deep uncertainty that came with a plain phrase. But the reaction he got as he spread his hand across the letters was far from plain. 

 

It was a shot of electricity right down Brad’s spine. He gasped and tugged Nate in so he could nuzzle into his hair. He could feel Nate’s mark like a beacon and his hand slid easily slid beneath the collar of his shirt, fingertips grazing his shoulder blade before curling around the arch that held the ink. 

 

“Christ,” Nate cursed lowly, breath shuddering out of him. Brad shushed him and thumbed over the soul mark. They were feeling it all the way down to their knees and they leaned against one another. Brad remembered this breathless, wonderous feeling and he savored it. This would be the last time they’d feel a fresh bond.

 

Nate tilted his head in a silent plea and Brad realized then this was truly his soulmate. Just like Mike and Ray he could never deny him anything. His heart cracked open and overflowed with love for this beautiful stranger and he craved to know everything about him. Starting with how that gorgeous mouth tasted. 

 

The kiss sparked a new flow of warmth and Brad felt like he was melting. Nate seemed to feel the same as he slumped into him. Brad held him tight against his chest. For as strong as Nate seemed, he felt fragile under his hands with his shivers and his quiet whimpers, pawing almost cattishly at his sides like he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

 

Something he’d only felt twice before blossomed in his chest and turned heavy, thudding along with his heart. 

 

Mike had confessed once that he felt protective of Brad and now he could feel that same feeling welling within himself. He’s already fucked up and hurt this beautiful, sweet thing and it broke his heart.

 

“I’m an asshole,” Brad apologized against his smooth cheek, massaging his mark and peppering him with kisses. Nate bloomed under the attention. “I guess it sucks that my boyfriend got to spend time with our two hot soulmates and I had to work.” He brushed his mouth over Nate’s ear and remembered the way the man shivered. “It’s not fair I had to kiss his ass and Mike got to bite yours.”   
  


Brad didn’t have time to jump or even crack a joke before Nate grabbed him by the collar and yanked him into a harsh kiss. A rough moaned passed between them though neither was sure who uttered it. Brad shuddered as Nate’s nails raked across soul mark, the other hand falling from his shirt to roughly grab his ass and drive their hips together in a dirty grind. Brad was chubbed up from the feeling of their bond solidifying but was cruising fast to hard with a hot guy biting on his lip.

 

Something smacked against their faces. It had an edge that bit enough to make them flinch and pull away. They both frowned down at the shiny lube sample packet that was laying innocently between their sneakers. They looked up to see, predictably, Mike with his face in his hands and Ray recording them with his phone. 

 

Ray gave them a thumbs up and they rolled their eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

It was rough going trying to adjust to a four way relationship but they handled it as best they could. Ray had never really dated anyone so seriously and Nate’s handful of relationships hadn’t meant nearly as much. Brad had dated plenty of people, sometimes delving in too deep, but it was Mike who helped steer the way. The three younger men relied on them maybe more than was healthy but he quickly became the most solid presence in their lives.

  
Sometimes that worked for them. And sometimes it didn’t.

 

o0o

 

“Brad!” Nate was beaming already as he opened the door for him. He looked tired but happy to see him. “You made it.”

 

Brad kissed his cheek as he passed, absently rubbing a hand along his covered mark on Nate’s shoulder. “Mike can’t make it tonight. They needed him at another site and he’s going to drive through the night to be there by the morning.”

 

“That’s too bad,” Nate pouted, but then his smile came back. “I’m glad you’re here though.” He closed the door and urged Brad further in. “We’ve got pizza.”

 

Brad started to laugh but the sound faded out when he saw that the kitchen table was covered in a whirlwind of research material. At least half a dozen books, the laptop, scattered handwritten notes, and boring blocks of printed out power points. It looked painfully boring.

 

“I know,” Nate pushed him past the table and steered him to the main living room where the couches and TV were. “I can’t put it off.”  
  
  


“This has kind of been the past three date nights,” Brad pointed out. He was trying not to be bitter but Nate had cancelled on both him and Mike three times now for school. Mike was more than understanding and Brad felt like a selfish ass for getting annoyed. “We didn’t have to  do this if you were busy.” 

 

“Hey.” He caught Brad’s arm and turned him around. He put on that pout and Brad felt himself melting all over again. Nate cupped his jaw and rubbed a thumb across his cheek. The prickled nerves were smoothed back down and he leaned into the touch. “I always have time for you guys. I _was_ going to cancel but Ray said I should shut up and tell you guys how it works.”

 

Brad tried not to bristle again. “What works?”   
  


  
“School comes first, and I’m sorry for that,” Nate apologized. “But it does. You guys are my markmates, Brad. I’m going to have you forever. This is only for right now. My career is important to me. Getting into law is going to be a rough road but it’s going to be worth it. The payoff is huge. Ray understands that and I hope you and Mike will too.” 

 

“I’d be a complete jackass if I didn’t,” Brad conceded. The irritation faded under those pleading eyes and all he wanted was Nate’s smile back. He tugged him in for a sweet kiss. “Of course I understand. So what’s the plan?”

 

Nate lit up and every missed day, from now until the end of time, was worth it to see him so happily relieved. “We’re doing one of our usual things. Ray’s building levels on Super Mario Maker and when I’m done with my paper I try to beat them.”

 

“So how do I fit into that?” Brad asked, pressing gently.

 

Nate shrugged a little. His hand slid down Brad’s arm to lace their fingers. “How do you want to fit?”

 

Brad caught him around the waist and kissed him rather chastely, a brush of lips. “How about I help him and then close my eyes for a couple so he can surprise us?”

 

Nate grinned and slung an arm around his shoulders, smacking a wet kiss on him. “That sounds great.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

It was Ray who liked horror movies. They took turns picking flicks when they all got together and Ray had chosen something he thought would be pretty scary. He’d been excited to get a couple jump scares out of his markmates. He kept wiggling from his place on the far right of the couch. His bowl of popcorn had been confiscated after his squirming had caused a spill and now Brad controlled his snack intake. Beside Brad was Mike, slouched and arms flung along the back of the couch, and on the far left was Nate who had his own bowl of popcorn.

 

_Lights Out_ was fucking terrifying but slowly they got sucked into another show. Well, Ray was watching, but Brad and Mike were gawking at Nate. The blond didn’t look any different than usual - he was comfortable in his sweats and worry free with his homework all finished up. Their eyes were glued to his fingers and the path they took from the bowl to his mouth.

 

Nate wasn’t paying attention to how he ate but his boyfriends sure were. His pace was languid, a sultry curve to his lazy fingers as he scooped up a piece at a time. His eyes were on the screen, captivated, and his lips parted like a syrup-slow invitation in anticipation of each bite. He laid each piece of popcorn on his waiting tongue, drawing it into his mouth, chewing briefly before licking his fingertips. It was a bad habit but his tongue traced the whorls of his fingers in a blind, greedy search for salt and butter. Every few bites he’d pop his thumb between his lips and suck, cheeks hollowing briefly as he chased the savory taste. Mike and Brad were half hard just from the simple actions and they were quickly getting wound up picturing that mouth in better places. 

 

Brad was the first to say something. “Jesus. Fucking. Christ.”

 

“It looks great,” Nate commented absently, thinking Brad was noting how terrifying the shadow creature looked. 

 

Mike huffed through his nose and turned a scowl at Ray. “Does he do this all the time, Ray?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Ray grunted around a mouthful of popcorn, eyes stuck on the screen. “It’s like porn, right?”

 

“What are you guys talking about?” Nate asked idly, head craning toward him without looking away from the screen. “Something wrong?”

 

Ray tried not to snicker as he waved off his boyfriend’s concern. “Nah, babe, eat your popcorn.”

 

o0o0o0o

 

Mike didn’t take naps a lot. He was on the wrong side of forty and there was no reason for a grown ass man to be sleeping during the day when they had a full time job. Except for sometimes that full time job made him travel a little further than he wanted and stay well into the night so that by the time he got home he’d caught his second wind and it was hard to fall asleep right away.

 

Ray and Nate had taken one look at him when he’d come over for lunch and had forced him to clean his plate before going to lay down. He’d set an alarm but it was still twenty minutes from going off. What had woken him up was something softer. 

 

It was a guitar. 

 

Mike got up and pulled back on his comfortable shirt. He padded out of the room as quietly as he could and followed the sound to the living room. He sighed fondly and leaned against the wall, peering around the corner at his boyfriends. 

 

“Careful, just...yeah, like that,” Ray murmured encouragingly, sounding proud. “Perfect.”

 

Ray was comfortably squeezed between the couch and Nate’s broad back. His lanky for was all curled around Nate - legs tucked, knees resting on each side of his hips, arms wound around him and fingers shadowing Nate’s own on the neck of his acoustic guitar. Nate had made it clear he had bought the thing on a whim and had sucked at it so bad it had laid unused for months. 

 

But there Nate was with the sweetest look of concentration. His brows were knitted up, tongue caught between his teeth as he followed Ray’s movements along the scale. He plucked carefully and visibly strained but he seemed determined. 

 

“You’re doing great,” Ray promised, chin hooked over his shoulder. There was no tease or mischief to his demeanor just a warmth that radiated from his smile and the dark of his eyes.  Clear notes came from the labor of love and after two more Nate finally cracked a smile.

 

“I’m doing it?” he was cautiously optimistic and relieved.

 

Ray gave him a squeeze and kissed his cheek. “Yeah, babe. Look at you go.”

 

Nate stared down in awe at their hands. “Can I try it on my own?”

 

Ray relaxed on him, nuzzling his ear with a hum. “Go for it.”

 

Mike eased around the wall and plopped down in the chair there. He rested his chin on his fist and watched Nate flex his fingers and chew his lip as he tried to get the right string of notes. A few were a little sour but Ray kept smiling and urging him to keep going, that he’d get it.

 

Yeah, he loved his boys.


End file.
